


Chasing Down A Daydream

by smoll_ballerina



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F, Tangled AU, basically follows the plot of the movie with some changes here and there
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:06:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 59,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24315520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smoll_ballerina/pseuds/smoll_ballerina
Summary: Hyerim Tangled AU
Relationships: Choi Yerim | Choerry/Son Hyejoo | Olivia Hye, Ha Sooyoung | Yves/Jung Jinsol | Jinsoul, Jeon Heejin/Kim Hyunjin
Comments: 27
Kudos: 252





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Basically the plot of the movie except Hyejoo is Rapunzel and has a twin and Yerim is Flynn and has a partner.

Sooyoung was bored with this meeting and she had barely been there for 10 minutes. The visiting councilman from Broria were there to finalize their merger. Corona was a strong kingdom and many surrounding kingdoms were eager to join in an alliance.

She sat on her throne, one leg crossed over the other as her elbows rested on the armrests. Her royal knights stood on either side of her chair, just outside her peripherals. The men visiting from Broria sat perpendicular to her, facing her at a long table set up for them. Their King stood and addressed her now that their Royal Secretary had given his statement and the wishes of the merger. She rubbed her temple lightly and sat up a little straighter, listening with intent.

“Your majesty, as we said in our letter correspondence, we are willing to join the alliance. But yourpromise of funding is another matter entirely.” The stoutly King Tryon stood before her, his hand resting on his sword hilt in a weak display of dominance against the queen. Sooyoung knew he couldn’t take two steps without heaving.

“Funding?” she said, a single eyebrow raised in question.

The King smiled but Sooyoung didn’t sense any kindness behind it. “But of course, your Majesty.” His smile turned up at the edges, and his voice dripped with confidence he had no right to have. “By joining this alliance under your rule, we have been offered protection. But what about our small, ailing kingdom? We are low on funds, and our people are suffering.”

Sooyoung remained relaxed in her seat. “King Tryon, it is no fault of mine that  _ your  _ kingdom is ailing. What are the reasons your people are suffering?”

“They haven’t been able to pay their taxes and crops this year did not turn even half of the profit from last year.”

Sooyoung’s hand fell from her temple to the armrest on her throne. She knocked on it a few times as she spoke. “You’re asking my help for funding because you’re taxing your kingdom too much?” she asked. Her words had a hard edge to them.

“I’m taxing them just as much as Diria or Odewen or other Kingdoms are!” he exclaimed, red in the face from Sooyoung’s fair accusation.

“You’d be wise not to raise your voice to the Queen,” one of Sooyoung’s knights responded.

Sooyoung held a hand up. “It’s fine Jiwoo. He means no harm, despite the fact that he can’t let go of his sword.”

“Queen Sooyoung, you would be well advised to teach your guards when they are allowed to speak and to know their place,” the King’s Secretary stated, challengingly looking at Jiwoo.

“My guards are fit to speak on matters they feel as though they are well equipped enough to handle. My personal safety is a matter on which they are allowed to speak their minds,” she said firmly, giving no room for argument.

“I don’t even see why you have them in the room, Your Majesty. Aren’t your guards supposed to protect you from threats? What good are they inside the room?” The King asked, laughing incredulously.

“Seeing as how this room has one doorway and windows too high off the ground to be broken through, I feel as though it’s best they stand by my side.”

“Surely you can’t think a threat is posed to you  _ inside _ this room?” Sooyoung only stared back silently. The King huffed at the insinuation, yet still refused to let go of his sword. “Queen Sooyoung, we aren’t asking for much,” King Tryon said, that cocky smile still set on his face. He seemed so sure he was going to get his way.

“You’re just asking for money,” Sooyoung said, not giving in. “Now tell me, Your Majesty, what do you intend to use the money for?” she asked, shifting in her seat. “Because not once in your letters did you say that your kingdom was struggling or needed funds of any kind.”

“We need funds for repairs to the castle,” he said plainly.

“What kinds of repairs? Was it damaged recently?” Sooyoung asked.

The King laughed, as did the rest of his council. “No, Your Majesty. I just find it to be a little too small for my tastes.” He laughed heartily after he spoke. Sooyoung failed to find the same humor in his words.

“You’re asking for money and my protection because you want a bigger castle?” Sooyoung asked.

“Oh Queen Sooyoung you make it sound like I’m being greedy here. I choose to think of it as creating a larger symbol for my kingdom to have and honor. A larger castle makes it look like we’re a stronger kingdom and that we can protect our people,” he explained.

Sooyoung stood from her throne slowly, walking down the steps just as slow as she spoke. “Tell me, King Tryon, how many people live in your castle?”

“I fail to find your meaning,” he said, eyeing the way she was approaching him.

“I mean just that. How many people besides you and your family live in the castle?” she repeated. “Do you have spare rooms? Could any of them be offered to your wait staff or have you forced them in tight, enclosed spaces, or even a separate wing entirely? How many useless, empty rooms does your castle have?”

He and his council erupted into laughter again, seemingly finding humor in this. “ _ Many _ rooms. Why have a castle if you don’t have things to show off unnecessarily?”

Sooyoung approached the table and slammed her hands down with more force necessary. “Do you know how many empty rooms there are in my castle?” she asked, staring him in the eye. “One,” she said, holding up a finger for emphasis. “And it’s the Ballroom. Except, on days that we aren’t hosting balls, which is the majority of them, it is open to the public as an emergency medical center. We have two main physicians in this kingdom. One works out of his home, and the other works here.” She lifted her hands from the table and paced slowly in front of the table, making sure to look at each man as she spoke. “Our servants sleep two to a room with ample privacy given to them at all times. We have a wing set aside for them, but it is no less cared for and no less lavish as the rest of the castle. I do not pride myself with showing off how comfortable luxury is, but if it is here and available to me and my family, there is no reason it should not be offered to the rest of my staff as well. The Knights train and live in the castle, our students who study to become part of the Royal Court train and live in the castle, our kitchen staff trains and lives in the castle. Are you understanding what I’m trying to say by all of this, King Tryon?” she shouted, getting as close to his face as the table in between them would allow. “I run a fair kingdom here. I do my best to be kind and just and I have nothing but love for my people. If they can’t pay taxes, I do not punish them, I  _ help  _ them. They are not required to make up for taxes they have missed because we have plenty of money to cover them. My people will live debt free and I  _ will not  _ hunt them down like dogs for a few spare coins. I am not Queen because I am the richest person here, I am Queen because I swore a duty to help my kingdom and by God I am going to do the best I can to do just that! You ask for my money because you want a larger castle, and you can’t get it because you have run your people dry. That is  _ not  _ the point of this merger and I am appalled that you have come to me groveling for money you have no right to ask for.” Sooyoung was breathing heavily by the time she finished, angry at the selfish King standing before her.

King Tryon and his court were shocked at her speech. Their jaws were all open and they were frozen in place. The King got his wits back quickly and fumbled for an answer. “How dare you speak to me this way? I have aided your kingdom before and this is how you treat me?”

“I’ll treat you however I wish to. You’re in  _ my _ kingdom asking for  _ my _ help. You will not receive it if you act this way.”

“The other kingdoms in this alliance have said they asked for your money and that you have  _ “graciously helped them with no question” _ . How is this fair treatment?” he shouted back at her.

Sooyoung remained calm, despite his outbursts. “Those kingdoms asked for financial help in order to fund their schools or their military. I have sent men to them to aid them. They are to facilitate their recovery, not coddle them. A trade has been finalized and they will not owe me a single coin in return. Instead of money, they agreed to send finer things such as fabrics, parchment, inks and dyes, and in some cases crops and livestock. It was a fair deal in my eyes. Funding your construction project is not. And if you can’t make me see things in a better light, this merger is off as well.”

King Tyron flushed deep red, his hand gripping his sword as if he were to draw it. “How dare you take back your word!”

“I haven’t given you my word yet, I agreed to correspond with you in letters. We never came to a full agreement. That’s what this meeting is for, or did you forget why you were here in the first place?” Sooyoung stood away from the table now, arms crossed.

The King launched into a winded speech, trying to save a deal Sooyoung had already made her mind up about. She listened for a bit before he started getting repetitive, claiming the kingdom needed a new symbol of power, and that in time, he would pay her back. “Your Majesty, our kingdoms need each other. This merger will place us in your alliance, and you will have our undying loyalty. We just ask this small thing of you.” 

Sooyoung was about to answer when her ears picked up on noises outside the door. “King Tryon,” she started. Her words halted, as he interrupted her.

“You and I both know it is best that we join this alliance. We can offer each other protection.”

Sooyoung didn’t get a chance to answer, when she heard it again. She couldn’t stop her smile from splitting her face in half if she tried.

“Your Majesty? I take that smile as a sign of good things to come?” the King asked, completely unaware to it’s true meaning.

Sooyoung ignored him and quickly rounded the table, ignoring his questioning of where she was going. She slammed the doors open and stormed into the hall, searching for the source of the joyous sounds.

“Sooyoung! I thought you were in a meeting right now? What are you doing out here?”

Sooyoung walked toward the two women, and more importantly, what they were holding. “Well when I hear my daughters making noise, I couldn’t resist coming out and hoping their mother was with them,” she said, gently rubbing Heejin’s little stomach as she looked at her with immeasurable affection. Her cheeks were red and splotchy and Sooyoung could see tear tracks.

Jinsoul lightly hit her wife on the shoulder. “You’ve got business to attend to. Get back in there and finalize it, and  _ then  _ you can come spend time with us.”

Sooyoung ignored her as she took Hyejoo from Jungeun’s arms. “Jungeun, would you please go fetch us some of the girl’s toys? When I’m done with this, I want to spend some time with them outside.” She looked at Hyejoo the whole time she spoke, cradling her daughter carefully in her arms. She gently cupped her head, feeling the soft, dark blonde strands. She was fast asleep, breathing even against Sooyoung’s chest.

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Jungeun said, bowing slightly to her.

“And stop calling me that. You act like we didn’t grow up together.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” she repeated, quirking an eyebrow at Sooyoung as if to say  _ try and stop me _ . 

Sooyoung laughed lightly as she walked away, before she pressed a quick kiss to Jinsoul’s lips. “Have you been in the garden?” she asked, seeing the dirt around the bottom of her dress and streaked across her cheeks. She stayed in Jinsoul’s space, not wanting to pull away.

Jinsoul hummed in response. “It’s coming along nicely. The girls love all the bright colors and Hyejoo loves watching the birds. One of them landed near Heejin and she had a melt down from fear, that’s why we’re taking a walk. We needed a little break.”

Sooyoung cooed at the girl still in Jinsoul’s arms. “Aw, Heekie. Birds are pretty scary aren’t they?” she asked, carefully caressing her daughter’s head, feeling the soft hair there. She finally looked back up at her wife and saw her already looking at her. Almost 20 years had gone by since they met each other, almost 10 since Sooyoung realized she was in love with her. Now here they are at 24 and the amount of love Sooyoung can see in Jinsoul’s eyes when she looks at her still takes her breath away. She leaned in for another kiss before her emotions got the best of her. “Please don’t make me go back in there,” she whispered against them before pressing another kiss to her lips. Jinsoul laughed with her before pulling back

King Tryon burst out from the room at that moment. “Your Majesty, if we could finalize this deal instead of you interrupting it to chat with your maid staff,” he said bluntly, shooting a dirty look at Jinsoul.

Sooyoung could feel hot anger coursing through her veins, but she had enough restraint to control it. Her wife, however, did not.

“Excuse me? Who do you think you are?” Jinsoul exclaimed.

“Queen Sooyoung, your Knight was one thing, but to permit your maid hands to speak their mind in the presence of a King is another thing entirely!” King Tryon exclaimed.

Sooyoung carefully adjusted Hyejoo to use her free arm to control Jinsoul. She clenched her jaw before speaking. “King Tryon if you may allow me to introduce my daughters, Princess Heejin and Princess Hyejoo, twins.” She gestured to each infant in turn. “And if I may also have the pleasure of introducing my wife, Queen Jinsoul.”

All the color washed from King Tryon’s face. He quickly bowed and offered his own greeting. “My apologies, Your Majesty. I have never known a Queen to wear plainclothes so openly in public.”

“We can’t always dress in luxury. Besides, I’ve been working all day and I didn’t want to ruin any of my more extravagant outfits,” Jinsoul replied tensely.

“Working? You mean you’re doing  _ labor _ ?” he asked, almost disgusted.

“Yes I am. In the garden. It’s always been a hobby of mine to plant new flowers before the seasons change too much. Flowers can bloom in winter if you have the right types, you know,” she explained.

The King laughed awkwardly. “You do know you have staff who can do that for you?” he asked. When the two women didn’t laugh with him, his smile fell.

“King Tryon, I’ve thought hard about this decision and this is my final order that we will  _ not  _ be merging kingdoms. I would like you and your men to leave my kingdom. It’s still early in the day, I see no reason why you wouldn’t be able to set sail and be on your way home,” Sooyoung said firmly, turning to face him square on.

“Your Majesty?” he asked, shocked at how plainly she spoke.

“I will not repeat myself. Our kingdom will offer you no financial aid and you will not be added to the alliance. I refuse to associate myself with a kingdom ruled by a corrupt King. The guards will escort you out after you have packed your documents,” she said, turning to walk back into the meeting room. “Haseul?” she called to one of her knights. “Have the Royal Secretary hand the contract over and make sure to burn it. And then you and Jiwoo are to escort them to the docks. I want them to leave today. And when you’re done, please join my wife and I in the garden for some tea,” she said, making sure to say the last part with a polite smile on her face. She knew it was going to piss off King Tryon.

“Of course, Sooyoung,” Haseul replied with the same smile on her face.

Sooyoung turned and left the room, rejoining Jinsoul in the hallway. She could hear the men inside throwing a fit at her guard being on a first name basis with her.

“That certainly didn’t go how they wanted it to,” Jinsoul said as Sooyoung approached.

“I knew it was going to go poorly the second I walked into the meeting. I don’t think they like seeing a woman wearing trousers and sitting on the throne,” she said, sticking a leg out and looking at it comically.

Jinsoul laughed and placed a firm kiss to Sooyoung’s cheek. “Would Your Majesty be so kind as to escort me to the garden for afternoon tea?” she asked, looking Sooyoung in the eyes.

“I would like nothing more,” Sooyoung replied, leaning her forehead against Jinsoul’s for a moment before wrapping her free arm around her waist. Hyejoo shifted in her arms, stretching as best she could in her mother’s hold before her eyes opened. “Oh perfect. Hyejoo’s awake for tea time.”

Jinsoul looked at Heejin, still nestled in her arms. “And I think this one is about to fall asleep herself. She needs it after her little melt down.”

Heejin didn’t settle down until she was placed in her bassinet and tucked in. Sooyoung sang to her lightly as Jinsoul worked on the rest of the flowers. Jungeun joined them a few minutes after they arrived with a handful of blocks and rattles, things Hyejoo took a liking to and that kept her occupied for a short while.

Sooyoung couldn’t do anything but look at her daughters, too enamored with them to listen to Jinsoul ramble about the flowers, or even notice that Haseul and Jiwoo had since joined them. She held Hyejoo tightly against her chest, wrapping her in her dark gray blanket to protect her from dropping temperatures. She fiddled with one of the blocks in her hands, a yellow letter ‘H’.

“They’re not going to disappear if you take your eyes off of them,” Haseul teased. She had shed her armor and was wearing a royal jacket instead. While she kept it unbuttoned, she still looked presentable in the deep purples and yellows of their Kingdom. Her arm is across the back of Jungeun’s chair and the younger girl was leaning in toward her.

“I can’t take that chance,” Sooyoung said quietly, still not looking away from Hyejoo. Occasionally, the infant would look up at her for a second, staring with her wide eyes. Sooyoung would smile every time and lightly tickle her stomach before her attention went right back to the block.

Jiwoo was just as enamored with the sleeping Heejin. The infant had grabbed one of her fingers in a tight grip, even in her sleep, and refused to let go. Jiwoo wasn’t bothered in the slightest.

Jinsoul looked up from where she was kneeling, smiling fondly at her family and friends. “So what exactly happened with King Tryon?” she asked as she resumed digging in the dirt. Haseul and Sooyoung groaned while Jiwoo sighed heavily. Jungeun placed a comforting hand on Haseul’s thigh, before snatching it back a second later, cheeks red from her action.

“He was asking for money to build a larger castle because he wanted to be able to provide a  _ “larger symbol of power”  _ to his people. He then got upset when I declined and brought up how we’re funding other kingdoms, but the comparison had no weight to it. So I kicked them out and we’ll most likely hear from them in the future,” she finished with a light laugh.

“I would have run him through if you told me too,” Jiwoo said. They all laughed at that.

Their afternoon passed quickly as they sat in the garden for hours, drinking tea and enjoying each other’s company. At some point after the sun dipped below the tall spires of the castle, Haseul and Jungeun excused themselves, sneaking off to who knows where. Jiwoo stayed with them as dinner approached, but she excused herself soon before then, leaving the family of four to themselves.

The queens handed the girls over to their maid servants as they made their way inside for food. They enjoyed their meal in peace surrounded by their friends and close staff. It wasn’t long before the food was cleared and people were turning in for the night. Sooyoung and Jinsoul lingered for a long while, enjoying the silence in the empty dining room before returning to their chambers.

They went about the process of tucking the girls in, changing them into their sleep clothes and singing softly to them until they fell into sleep’s grasp. Long after they were asleep, and long after Sooyoung herself needed to be asleep, she couldn’t tear herself away from their side.

The nursery was set up in a circular room, at the top of the spire next to the Queen’s bedchamber. The left side of the room was Heejin’s and the right side was Hyejoo’s. Their cribs were set up toward the middle of the room, close enough to each other that the queens could easily see them both at the same time.

Sooyoung stood between them, arms wrapped around herself as she smiled slightly at her sleeping daughters. The fireplace was down to a small flame, almost entirely just glowing embers. The single, closed window in the middle of the room would be enough to keep the night chill out. The girls were wrapped in their blankets anyway. Heejin was bundled up in her soft pink knitted blanket, a gift from Jinsoul’s mother, while Hyejoo just had her gray fleece draped over her. She moved around too much in her sleep to want to be wrapped tightly. Heejin’s mobile spun slowly, making the small rabbits and flowers look as if they were dancing with each other. Hyejoo’s mobile spun the other direction, her soft wolves and stars entwined with one another.

Sooyoung watched them for a long while, turning her head between them and watching them sleep peacefully. She didn’t hear Jinsoul coming into the room behind her, but she certainly felt the arms wrap tight around her waist, and her chin rest on her shoulder. “It’s late, my love. Why don’t you come to bed?”

Sooyoung relaxed into her wife’s hold and turned to whisper to her. “I just want to watch them a bit longer.”

Jinsoul laughed and squeezed tighter, resting more of her weight against her wife. “They’re wonderful to look at,” she said softly.

Sooyoung hummed in agreement. “I can’t believe we made them,” she said with wonder in her voice. “I can’t believe we were able to get you pregnant in the first place and make  _ one  _ baby, let alone  _ two _ .”

“Well we had some help,” Jinsoul reminded her. They knew they wouldn’t be able to produce children by traditional standards, so they enlisted the help of the local witch, a young woman named Dawon. She gathered locks of hair from both of the Queens and made a potion for Jinsoul to drink that night before they slept together. It had worked and 9 months later, she was giving birth to twins. Coincidentally when Hyejoo fell sick a few months later, Dawon was there again to save her. The only lasting effect was the magic turned Hyejoo’s hair dark blonde.

“We did. She may claim her magic messed up, but even though her intentions were for one child, it wasn’t a mistake,” Sooyoung recalled.

“One for each of us,” Jinsoul said. “I still can’t believe the doctor told me I wasn’t done after Heejin was born. When he told me there was another baby, I didn’t think I could handle the pain again.”

Sooyoung laughed at her wife. “I wish you could have seen the look on your face when he said that. I was over the moon, I couldn’t believe it either. Your eyes bugged out and you looked to me for help, but all I could do was smile and try not to cry at the thought of another baby.”

“Don’t let anyone ever tell you you don’t love your daughters,” Jinsoul said fondly before placing a loving kiss to the back of Sooyoung’s neck. She slowly separated herself from Sooyoung and stepped to look closely at Hyejoo. She placed her hand softly on her stomach, relishing in the way her hand moved up and down with her breathing. “Have you ever noticed her mouth looks like a little triangle?”

Sooyoung peeked over and chuckled quietly. “I have. Not sure which one of us she gets it from,” she said. They spent a few minutes in silence, holding each other close and watching their daughters sleep before Sooyoung spoke again. “I think it’s time we tried to get some sleep too,” she said, softly tugging Jinsoul away from the cribs.

Jinsoul held her ground. “One more minute?” she pleaded. Sooyoung humored her, with little convincing to be had. “They won’t be this little forever, I just want to take this in while I can.”

“Now you get why I can stare at them for hours on end and do nothing else,” Sooyoung said, pulling her wife in close and kissing her temple.

After a few more minutes, they finally found the strength to tear themselves away from their daughters, slowly walking back to their room right down the hall. Sooyoung lingered in her doorway for a second, taking one last glance back at her daughter’s room before finally stepping inside and closing the door behind her. She curled up in bed with Jinsoul, holding her tightly whispering her love for her. “I love you, my darling.” 

“And I love you, my sun,” Jinsoul responded. They fell asleep easily, knowing they, and their daughters, were safe for the night.

But when Sooyoung woke in the middle of the night to the girl’s piercing wails, she wondered for a moment how she could have let her guard down. She quickly slipped out of bed, not caring enough to be gentle with Jinsoul for she needed to wake as well. She slipped on a pair of trousers as quickly as she could, and exited her room. The girl’s bedroom door was closed, something that never happened. She rushed forward with a call over her shoulder for the guards. She tried to open the doors, only to find them locked.

“Your Majesty, wait!” she heard Haseul advise her. She didn’t pay her any mind before ramming her shoulder into the doors as hard as she could. She felt them shift, but not open. All she cared about was getting to her daughters. She rammed into the doors again, this time with Jiwoo’s help. They fell open with a crack and she stumbled into the room.

The cribs were empty, but Sooyoung barely spared them a glance as she noticed a figure in the window. Heejin and Hyejoo were wailing loudly, not taking kindly to being in the stranger’s arms, especially since they were woken so rudely. Sooyoung could barely scream out “ _ No!”  _ and lunge for the figure before they were jumping out of the window and onto the ramparts below. She leapt from the window after them, screaming to the guards. “Stop them!”

She landed harshly, her bare feet not equipped to take the landing, but she didn’t slow down. She raced after the figure as fast as she could, but somehow, even with two infants in their arms, they were faster. The guards seemed dazed, and almost unresponsive to the figure running past them and that’s when Sooyoung saw it. A light purple haze had fallen over the guards’ eyes. Some type of magic was preventing them from helping.

She grit her teeth and forced herself to move faster, running as fast as she could after the figure, following them along the castle walls. She watched in a sense of dread as the figure stopped and looked back at her. She couldn’t make out the face under the hood. With speed she didn’t know she had, she lunged for them, almost catching them before they jumped off the castle wall. Her hands caught air for a moment before she was turning and launching herself off the wall as well, not caring for her personal safety.

The figure landed easily, most likely using magic to aid them. Sooyoung landed harshly on a lower roof before she was sliding off and hit the ground with a thud. The wind was knocked out of her, but she wasn’t too injured. “Your Majesty!” she heard someone yell. She turned and saw Jiwoo atop a horse, holding the reins of Sooyoung’s own steed in her free hand. Sooyoung got up and ran to meet her, mounting the horse and taking off after the figure.

“After the Queen!” she heard Jiwoo yell. If she had enough awareness about her, she would have heard all of the guards on their horses chasing after her, but she only had tunnel vision for the figure in front of her. They had to have been using magic because they were moving too quickly on their own.

The twins were screaming their head off, and Sooyoung could only hope they kept it up. Even if she lost sight of the figure, she’d be able to hear them still. She chased them through town, urging her horse to go faster down the cobblestone streets. She was waking up the entire kingdom with the comotion she was causing, but she didn’t care. With more people awake, there was a better chance at stopping this figure.

She could hear Jiwoo shouting to the guards to split off to the side streets to try and cut them off, but the figure was moving too quickly for that plan to work. Eventually they broke through the tree line and were racing through the forest in almost pitch black. Sooyoung was still able to catch glimpses of the figure from the moonlight through the trees, but she could feel she was losing them. Tears sprang to her eyes as she pushed her horse ever faster.

An arrow whizzed past her face, shocking her as it almost hit the target. “Stop! She has the babies!” she shouted over her shoulder. A second air fired, this one with flames on it’s tip. This arrow missed completely, but it did light their path a bit and highlight the fleeing figure. A second flaming arrow fired, but the path was empty. Sooyoung pulled the reins harsly to stop her horse, looking around in the dark forest. “Where did they go!” she shouted to the company behind her. Suddenly she heard a cry off to her left. She quickly kicked her horse and pulled it in the direction of the wailing. Just as she thought she should be able to see the figure with how close the cries were, she heard them behind her. “What?” she said to herself. She wasted no time in changing direction and following them. Again, just as she thought she was catching up, the cries moved.

“How is this happening?” Jiwoo asked. “They’re coming from all directions.”

Sooyoung could hear her daughters wailing, but it was echoing strangely through the forest, sounding like they were in multiple places at once.

“It must be magic,” one of the guards said.

“Split up! Jiwoo with me! The rest of you go in pairs and make sure you’re covering as much ground as possible. If any of you have lanterns, pass one to me and distribute them evenly. No one is leaving this forest until I say so!” She managed her speech through her tears. A lantern was given to her and soon she and Jiwoo were off, searching for any sign of her daughters.

Hours passed to no avail. None of the initial search parties could find anything, even long after the sun had risen into the sky. Some time had passed since the cries stopped, and now they had nothing to go on. No tracks were left behind, no clues, nothing.

Sooyoung and Jiwoo were soon replaced by other guards so that they may rest and get sleep. They returned back to the Kingdom with their heads held low. Sooyoung couldn’t bring herself to lift her head at her people. She dismounted her horse and handed it off to one of the stable boys, trying to ignore his look of pity. She walked in the main doors and was immediately almost tackled by her wife.

“Did you find them?” Jinsoul asked, her voice heavy with emotion.

Sooyoung tried to answer but her words lumped in her throat. Her ears were ringing and she was stiff, almost unable to return Jinsoul’s embrace. All of her emotions bubbled out as she broke down in Jinsoul’s arms. She mumbled “ _ I’m sorry _ ” over and over, unable to say anything else. Jinsoul pulled back to look at her, looking just as broken as she felt. Jinsoul wrapped her back up and they sobbed in each other’s arms.

The following days blurred together and they could barely tell one week from the last. Search parties were organized 24/7. When the Queens and the guards weren’t in the woods searching, they were asking around town for any information. The only day they didn’t work to find the twins was when their birthday arrived just over a month later.

It was the Queen’s first public event since their daughters were taken, and the public was there to mourn with them. The search parties continued, but the majority of the townspeople gathered in the square after the sun had set. The November night brought with it a chill that no fire could fix.

Jinsoul and Sooyoung stepped out onto the balcony overlooking the town, each of them wearing the colors of Corona. On their wrists were single carnations, a pink one on their left and a black one on their right. They each had a single paper lantern in their hands. Sooyoung held one with a pink sun painted carefully on it, while Jinsoul held one with a black moon. They each had a speech prepared, but they were both at a loss for words.

Sooyoung didn’t try to push through her emotions and instead reached for the torch one of the knights was holding. She lit her lantern and passed the torch to Jinsoul for her to do the same. They held each other close as they let go, watching the lanterns rise into the sky. They circled around each other, pulling the other in as they flew higher and higher. The townspeople slowly went about lighting their own smaller lanterns, releasing them after the first two. Sooyoung and Jinsoul wept as they celebrated their daughter’s first birthday without them, hoping above all else that they were still alive and would one day return home to them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Didn't mean for this to be more than 3x the length of the second chapter because this was only supposed to be filler but I had a lot of backstory to talk about. I hope you guys enjoy!!
> 
> IMPORTANT NOTE: the italicized years at the start of each section is how old the twins are at that time. Each section takes place on their birthday.
> 
> follow me on twitter @/edievelgs

2 years

Jinsoul woke easily out of her light sleep. She had tossed and turned for hours the night before, unable to sleep as she tried to prepare herself for the day to come. She turned her head slightly to bury it in the pillow more. She sank into the warmth of the bed before realizing she was alone. She stretched a hand out as far as she could reach, only to feel the sheets and nothing else. She cracked one eye open, quickly shutting it as the sunlight streamed through the window directly on her face. She adjusted slowly to the light in the room and opened one eye again, seeing an empty bed next to her. She rolled onto her back and stretched, only for her foot to brush up against something other than the blanket covering her.

Sooyoung sat hunched over at the foot of the bed, her hair falling over one shoulder. The large, white sleep shirt she was wearing was falling off the other shoulder. It engulfed her, making her already small frame look even smaller. Jinsoul could see how tense she was as she fiddled with something in her hands. Jinsoul sat up and slowly crawled over to her wife, sitting down with her legs on either side of her. She hugged her around the waist from the back and buried her face in her shoulder.

“Good morning,” Jinsoul mumbled, voice thick with sleep. Sooyoung didn’t respond. Jinsoul just hugged her tighter, knowing why she wasn’t greeting her. They sat in silence for a long while, Jinsoul embracing her wife as Sooyoung still fiddled with something Jinsoul couldn’t see. Jinsoul finally pulled back and peeked over Sooyoung’s shoulder to see what she held. Her breath caught in her throat and tears welled in her eyes as she saw the twins blankets in Sooyoung’s hands. “Oh darling,” Jinsoul whispered, pressing a long kiss to her wife’s exposed shoulder.

They were quiet for a few minutes. Jinsoul just held onto Sooyoung tightly as she stared down at the blankets.

“What do you think their first words were?” Sooyoung suddenly asked.

Jinsoul lifted her head from her shoulder and thought. Her chest panged at the realization that they missed both of the girl’s first words. “I don’t know,” she said after a beat. “Hyejoo’s was probably just “no”. She was a stubborn baby. Heejin’s was probably “bird” since we were always trying to tell her that they aren’t that scary. We said the word in front of her a lot, so-” she trailed off. She took a shaky breath and tried to keep herself from breaking down.

Sooyoung finally lifted her head and turned to face Jinsoul. Tears were steadily streaming down her expressionless face as her thumbs rubbed over the soft materials. Jinsoul reached up and gently wiped her tears away, resting her forehead against Sooyoung’s when she finished.

Sooyoung’s lip started to tremble but she collected herself and exhaled shakily. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Jinsoul knew what she was apologizing for, and had a hard time keeping her own emotions at bay. “For what, darling?” she asked anyway.

“That they’re not here,” Sooyoung said as fresh tears escaped.

Jinsoul pulled back and grabbed Sooyoung’s face in her hands. “You listen to me, Ha Sooyoung. This is not our fault.” Sooyoung tried to interrupt her, but Jinsoul kept going. “It’s not. We did the best we could and we will find them, do you hear me?” Jinsoul asked firmly.

Sooyoung struggled to compose herself and her grip on her blankets grew tighter. After a while she nodded tensely and fell against Jinsoul as her sobs ripped through her body. They held each other for a long while, crying as they started their daughter’s second birthday, still without them.

4 years

Sooyoung slowly walked barefoot through the halls of her castle. The floors were cold with an early morning November chill, but she was used to the feeling. She smiled tight lipped at any guard she passed, still trying her best to keep up her kind image. She wasn’t up for any small talk that day, and her guards knew it well.

She made her way to the kitchens, too restless to lay next to her sleeping wife. She would love to spend an entire day curled up in their warm bed together, but on this morning of their daughter’s fourth birthday she needed to get some space and to control her emotions away from Jinsoul before they braved the day together.

As she made her way closer to the kitchens, she heard hushed voices and what sounded like small cries. She couldn’t think of who else would be in there, hours before the sun would rise. She slowly stepped through the doors, thankful that they fixed the squeakiness last week. She closed the door softly behind her, seeing a figure squatted on the ground in front of a sobbing little girl. They were near the back door, sitting in mainly shadows and making it hard to see who they were. She could barely pick up on their hushed voices from her distance.

“Are you warm enough?” she heard the figure as the little girl. The girl was sobbing too hard to give a clear answer, so the figure wrapped her tighter in the jacket that was over her shoulders. The figure waited for the girl to settle her breathing before asking another question. “What’s your name, sweetie?” All she got were more sobs. “Ok, it’s ok,” the figure soothed.

Sooyoung recognized the voice, but in her sleepy haze, she couldn’t quite place it. She stepped further into the room, making herself known to the duo.

The figure whipped around and stood slowly, bending over to keep a hand near the little girl protectively. “Sooyoung! I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you would be awake at this time.”

Sooyoung waved her off. “It’s ok, Seul.” She peeked around Haseul’s form to the little girl still crying. “Who’s this?” she asked as she took slow steps forward.

Haseul turned to face the girl and turned slowly back to Sooyoung again. “I’m not sure. I was out on patrol and I took a side street on my way back and I heard her in an alley. She didn’t have shoes or a coat and it’s freezing outside, so I wrapped her up and brought her back. She was crying and calling out for her mother, but no one was with or around her,” she said quickly, her voice full of worry.

The girl looked like she couldn’t be more than four years old, if that. She was visibly dirty, evident by the accentuated tear tracks on her face. Like Haseul said, she wasn’t wearing shoes and her feet were tucked up underneath her, possibly for some warmth.

“I’m going to get her some water. Can you try and at least find out what her name is?” Sooyoung asked. Haseul nodded and returned to her crouched position, pulling the jacket tighter around the girl’s shoulder as she did. Sooyoung moved over to the water trough, picking up a spare cup as she went. Unfortunately she found it empty and she called out the Haseul as she stared at the still damp wood. “Water’s gone!”

“Oh right! I sent Jungeun out to the well. She should be back soon with some,” Haseul said over her shoulder. Sooyoung nodded and leaned against the large marble island in the center of the kitchen, not wanting to crowd the scared girl. She was going to ask what Jungeun was doing awake at this time, but decided now wasn’t the right time for that. The girl had calmed down, only sniffling occasionally and just staring at Haseul. Haseul turned back and started asking her more questions. “Are you feeling better?” The little girl nodded and wiped her nose on Haseul’s jacket. “Can you tell me your name?” The little girl hesitated before whispering softly. “Louder, honey. I can’t hear you,” Haseul said. The girl whispered again, louder but still too quiet for Sooyoung to hear. “Yeojin? Is that your name?” The girl nodded in confirmation.

The back door near the duo slammed open as Jungeun struggled to get past the threshold, holding two full water buckets. The loud noise startled Yeojin and fresh tears brewed as she started crying loudly.

“Shit! I’m sorry!” Jungeun said, setting one bucket down to make maneuvering through the kitchen easier. She dumped the first bucket into the trough as Haseul tried to console Yeojin.

“It’s ok! It was just a loud noise, you’re ok I promise. Just breathe with me, ok?” She got Yeojin to focus enough to settle her breathing and calm down. Her lip still quivered and tears were still falling, but she seemed to be doing better than a moment ago.

Jungeun dumped the second bucket into the trough and took the spare cup from Sooyoung, filling it halfway and walking over to the duo. She knelt down next to Haseul and handed Yeojin the cup. She helped lift it to her mouth and take a drink, wiping up the little bit that spilled down Yeojin’s chin. “Better?” she gently asked the girl. Yeojin nodded and handed the cup back, silently asking for more. Jungeun smiled at her and stood up, refilling the cup and repeating the process of helping the girl drink.

After her third cup, Haseul took it and set it to the side. “Yeojin, can you tell me how old you are?” Yeojin thought for a moment, before slowly bringing up a hand and bending her pinky and her thumb. “Three? You’re three years old?” Yeojin nodded. A second later her eyes started drooping. The adults recognized the signs of a sleepy child. “Yeojin I just have a few more questions and then we can go sleep ok?” Yeojin nodded and sunk down in the chair, looking ever smaller in the large coat that seemed to drown her tiny figure. “Why were you in the alley? Where’s your mommy?”

Yeojin shrugged. “I don’t know. I miss my mommy,” she said, sounding close to tears again.

Jungeun brought a hand up to her lap, hoping to comfort the girl with her touch. “It’s ok sweetie. We’ll help you find her. Do you know your mommy’s name?” she asked, hoping to get some information out of the girl.

Yeojin looked confused. “Mommy,” she said.

Haseul discreetly put a hand on Jungeun’s back, out of Yeojin’s view but not out of Sooyoung’s view. “That’s ok, honey. Last question and then we’re done. Did someone bring you to the alley, or did you run away?”

Yeojin answered immediately. “Mommy brought me. I don’t know- where she went,” she said with a long pause inbetween, partly due to how tired she was and how young she was. “She told me to stay. And she didn’t come back.” She stared wide eyed at the two adults kneeling in front of her as the weight of her words rested on their shoulders. Through the child’s broken sentences they understood that she had just been abandoned.

Haseul put a brave face on for the girl. “Good girl, Yeojin. I bet you’re tired, huh?” Yeojin nodded and rubbed her eyes, fighting the sleep that was soon to overtake her. Haseul looked over her shoulder at Sooyoung, silently asking her next question. When she received the queen’s nod, she turned back around and spoke to Yeojin. “How about you stay with me tonight? I’ve got a big, warm bed just for you.” Yeojin nodded again, and kept her eyes closed, slumping in the chair.

Haseul picked her up, making sure the jacket stayed tight over her tattered clothes. Yeojin brought her arms up to her shoulders and held on loosely. In less than a minute, she was asleep against Haseul’s shoulder.

Jungeun reached up and placed a hand on the girl’s back in comfort. “She can stay in our room tonight,” she said. Immediately after she said that, her eyes widened and she whipped her head to Sooyoung. “I mean your room. She can stay in your room, Haseul. With you. Alone.”

Sooyoung chuckled and pushed off the island. “Well, now that that secret’s out, maybe you two can stop sneaking around as much?” She wasn’t shocked, and in fact knew they had been sharing a room for quite some time now. “You know you don’t have to hide from me.”

Haseul and Jungeun glanced at each other, mouths falling open with words stuck in their throats. Haseul finally managed to get words out, speaking as she adjusted her hold on Yeojin. “It’s selfish of us to pursue each other behind your back. We have a duty to you and Jinsoul and by being with each other we’re breaking that. And for that, I apologize,” Haseul said.

Sooyoung made a face at her. “I don’t care,” she said bluntly.

The duo floundered for a bit. “You don’t?” Haseul asked.

“No, Seul. I’ve known about you two for years and I’ve never had a problem. Why would I?” Sooyoung asked.

“It’s forbidden for guard members and for maid hands to have their own lovers while under the employ of the crown, let alone for those lovers to be each other,” Jungeun said, feeling ashamed of herself.

“It is?” Sooyoung asked, genuinely confused.

Jungeun and Haseul both gave her confused looks. “Yes,” they said at the same time, dragging out the syllable. “Your father enacted the law to make sure that his guards stayed loyal to him the entire time they worked underneath him. It hasn’t been changed. We thought you agreed with the law,” Jungeun continued.

Sooyoung hummed. “I’ll have to change that. I’ll bring it up in the council meeting tomorrow. It sounds like a stupid law, I don’t care if my staff and guards have lives outside of work.”

Jungeun and Haseul stared at her in wonder, but didn’t say anything else on the matter. Yeojin shifted in Haseul’s arms and made a small noise, prompting them to finish their conversation. “We should get her to bed,” Haseul said softly.

Sooyoung nodded and headed for the door, holding it open for the other two to leave before stepping out of the kitchen herself and closing it quietly behind her. “Go get some sleep. And don’t worry about waking up on time, it’s been a long morning for all of us. Sleep in as much as you want,” she said.

Haseul and Jungeun bid her their own goodbyes before they turned and walked away from her. Sooyoung lingered for a minute, watching them walk down the long hallway together. After a moment, Jungeun reached over and grabbed Haseul’s free hand, entwining their fingers loosely. Yeojin’s head rose with every step Haseul took, but she remained asleep on her shoulder.

If Sooyoung closed her eyes, she could remember what it was like to carry one of her daughters, the other nestled in her wife’s arms as they walked down the very hallway she stood in. She could feel Jinsoul’s hand in her own and the weight of one of the girls in the crook of her elbow. She willed her tears down as she turned and headed for her room. She managed to make it past all the guards and staff members without letting them know she was seconds from crying. As soon as she passed her doorway and shut the magnificent doors behind her, a choked sob escaped. She quickly slapped a hand over her mouth and screwed her eyes shut, trying to control her emotions so she didn’t wake her wife. She slid down the door, landing heavily with her knees bent in front of her as she sobbed silently to herself. As selfish as the thought was, she wished above all else that the little girl she saw in the early hours could have been one of her own daughters.

7 years

Jinsoul’s day had been surprisingly hectic. She woke up at a decent hour, finally able to sleep through the night after a few years. Her pain has not lessened and it still grows heavier every day, but she’s learned to live with it.

She hadn’t seen much of her wife that day, separating after breakfast in order to attend to their duties for the day. Sooyoung had business meetings to attend and they kept her busy until after dinner. Jinsoul spent most of her day making sure everything was in order for that night’s events.

Occasionally she would step away from the planner and stand by an open window. She would close her eyes and listen to the lively music coming from the town square. She knew her people were playing music and dancing to try and lighten the mood of the day. While Sooyoung and Jinsoul mourned their daughter’s birthday, the people celebrated the princesses. They left gifts near the large mural of the family, spilling out into the square. After several minutes of listening, she would return to her business.

Hours passed as Jinsoul tried to keep herself busy throughout the day. The sun would set in a few hours and Jinsoul and Sooyoung would make their appearance. After the first lantern lighting, the queens found themselves able to say some words before letting their lanterns go. That first year they were grieving too much to try and keep up appearances.

Jinsoul made her way to the sitting room on the South side of the castle, the one with the balcony that overlooks the front courtyard. The doors were open and Jinsoul stepped out for some fresh air. She pulled her woolen cover over her shoulder, blocking herself from the November chill. The front gates were shut and the palace guards were dutifully setting the area up properly. The general staff moved through the area as well, sweeping away the fallen leaves and setting out thin, dry sticks to use as fire starters. The townspeople would bring in their own lanterns and pass around the burning wood to ignite them.

In the room behind her, one of the painter's apprentices was putting the final touches on the paper lanterns. Jinsoul watched him work for a moment before stepping into the room. She only approached the table once he stood and put his brush down, wiping his hands on a spare rag. He stepped away, giving her room to come forward and take a better look at the artwork on the paper. She took one look at the symbols painted, and anger immediately flared in her.

“What the hell is this?” she asked quietly. Her voice was harsh.

The apprentice lost color in his cheeks immediately. “Your Majesty,” he started, bowing slightly out of respect. His words were choked and seemed like they kept getting caught in his throat. “Whatever do you mean?”

Jinsoul snatched one of the lanterns from the table and glared at it, shifting her gaze to the other one after a few seconds. “They’re all wrong,” she whispered. She held the lantern with a pink crescent moon painted on it. On the table sat the lantern with a black sun painted on. All of the emotions she had been suppressing through the day were surfacing quickly.

The painter quickly approached, carefully addressing the queen. “I beg your pardon, My Queen?”

Jinsoul whipped around to him. “It’s all wrong!” she shouted. “It’s wrong!” she threw the lantern back on the table, not caring about possibly damaging it. “The colors are messed up! I pay you good money and I put my faith in you and your skills and you allow a child to mess it up?” She was screaming in the artist’s face at this point. “It’s wrong! It can’t be wrong! Today has to be perfect and now you’ve ruined it!” Unknown to her, as she was yelling at the artists, tears began streaming down her face.

“Your Majesty,” the artist started, holding his hands out gently. “Please forgive this imbecile’s mistake. I take full responsibility for this. Please, let us quickly paint new portraits and we’ll have them ready just before sundown.” The artist spoke quickly but nervously, hoping to ease the queen. He reached for some fresh parchment to cut to shape and restart the process.

“Leave it! There isn’t enough time! You ruined it! It’s too late!” Jinsoul shouted, her tears preventing her from seeing clearly, frustrating her even more.

The doors to the sitting room flung open and Sooyoung rushed into the room, trying to catch her breath. She saw the panicked painter and his apprentice, and then her wife in tears. “What’s going on?” she said, rushing to pull Jinsoul into her arms.

“It’s all wrong,” Jinsoul said to no one in particular, breaking down in Sooyoung’s arms.

Sooyoung rubbed her back to comfort her as best as possible. She looked to the table and finally noticed what was off. Her face fell as she realized why Jinsoul was so upset. “Leave us,” she said suddenly, her voice thick with emotions. The artist and his apprentice bowed and quickly left, closing the doors softly behind them. She tightened her hold on JInsoul and tried to sooth her. “It’s alright, darling. It’s ok. You’re alright, just let it out,” she said softly. Sooyoung was always the one between them that was willing to let her emotions out. She believes that there is no weakness in letting yourself feel. Jinsoul, however, prefers to bottle things up. Not because she thinks emotions are weak, but because she doesn’t want to have to deal with them.

After a few minutes, Jinsoul had steadied herself enough to speak. She pulled away and wiped a few stray tears away. “It’s all wrong,” she said, pointing at the lanterns. “The colors are wrong. They’re ruined. Our babies’ lanterns are ruined.” Her voice started to break again as fresh tears brewed.

Sooyoung pulled her back and gently shushed her, letting her get out all of the emotions she had been building up. It didn’t help that today was the twin’s birthday, but even if it wasn’t she knew that Jinsoul was close to a breakdown. She had been snippy the past few weeks and refused to open up to Sooyoung, just saying “I’m fine” over and over. She stared at the lanterns on the table, her own heart aching as the colors and symbols were backwards.

The sun was supposed to represent Heejin, and was supposed to be pink. Heejin was more smiley as a baby and they caught her staring at the pink flowers the most after she was a few months old. The moon was supposed to represent Hyejoo, and was supposed to be black. They didn’t plan on such a dark color for her, but they both felt like it fit the best. She wasn’t as smiley as her older sister, but she wasn’t a sad infant either. They didn’t have the words to explain it, but both symbols and both colors suited their daughters the best. And right now, they were backwards. A black sun and a pink moon wouldn’t mean much to anyone outside the kingdom of Corona, but to the Queens, it meant more than they could imagine.

As Jinsoul calmed herself for the second time, Sooyoung began to talk softly to her. “Maybe they’re not ruined,” she said.

Jinsoul pulled away and looked at her confused. “What?” she asked, wiping at her eyes.

Sooyoung nodded at her and rubbed her arms gently. “The colors are switched but it’s not ruined.”

Jinsoul shook her head and pulled free from her wife. She swallowed thickly and gestured towards the lanterns. “No! Heejin is supposed to be the sun, that’s why it’s pink. And that’s why the moon is black because it’s Hyejoo’s. They’re all wrong, Sooyoung. It’s wrong-”

“Jinsoul, honey just breathe. It’s ok,” Sooyoung said, cutting her off. She grabbed her hands and gingerly held them. “They’re backwards, I see that. The painter made a mistake and the colors are switched, but it’s ok.” She grabbed Jinsoul’s face when she wouldn’t look at her. Jinsoul couldn’t tear her eyes away from the lanterns. “Look at me, Jung Jinsoul. Listen to me.”

Jinsoul finally looked at her and seemed to come to her senses. “You only use my full name when you’re mad at me.”

Sooyoung chuckled and brushed some hair out of her face. “I promise I’m not mad.” She lowered her hands and wrapped her arms around Jinsoul’s waist, pulling her in closer. “I know you’re upset. I’m upset too, but it’s ok.” After a few moments of silence, she asked, “Why did you yell at the painter?”

Jinsoul sniffled and buried her head in Sooyoung’s shoulder, wrapping her arms around her wife as well. “Because he messed up the lanterns,” she mumbled.

Sooyoung nodded to herself. “He did. But you didn’t need to yell at him.”

“I was emotional. Today’s not the day for anything to go wrong.”

“Which is why I wish you would talk to me more,” Sooyoung whispered before placing a kiss in Jinsoul’s hair. “I know they’re painted wrong, but that doesn’t mean they’re ruined.” Jinsoul pulled her head up to look at her, but said nothing. “For all we know, their personalities switched as they got older. Heejin could be the one who glares at everything that moves and Hyejoo could be the happier child. We have no way of knowing,” she said.

Jinsoul scoffed and pulled away, pacing around the room for a bit before facing Sooyoung again. “How can you say that?”

“I’m not wrong,” Sooyoung said bluntly. They knew that what she said was true. They had no way to know what their daughters were like as they’ve grown.

“It’s not hard to just paint two pictures correctly.”

“It’s not, I agree with you. But it’s fine, darling. We know what they mean. Heejin is still our sun, and Hyejoo is our moon. The colors being wrong this time doesn’t change that. Besides maybe they can take on a new meaning,” Sooyoung said, hoping to calm her wife down.

Jinsoul stopped pacing and stared at Sooyoung. “Like what?”

Sooyoung shrugged. “I don’t know. Like how they’ll always be there for each other. How they can take turns lighting up the other when they’re feeling dark.”

Jinsoul’s jaw clenched as she tried not to cry again. She chuckled to herself as she spoke. “How do you always know what to say to make me feel better?”

Sooyoung stepped closer to her with her arms extended, readying herself for when Jinsoul stepped back into her embrace. “It’s a gift I have.” They held each other for a long while, calming their emotions and preparing themselves to have to face their people after sun down. They had about an hour left before the lantern lighting and they wanted to spend it alone, with each other. After a few minutes Sooyoung pulled away and just looked at her wife. “I love you,” she said quietly. Jinsoul pulled back and opened her mouth. When she couldn’t find her own words, she leaned forward and kissed Sooyoung firmly. At this point in the years they’ve been together, they didn’t need words to tell each other how much they loved them. They pulled away after a while to catch their breath, and Jinsoul managed a shaky “I love you” in return. Sooyoung pulled her back in gently with a hand on her chin, kissing her soundly. They exchanged a few more kisses before breaking apart.

“Make sure you apologize to the painter tomorrow,” Sooyoung said. She received a slap on the shoulder in return.

10 years

Jinsoul and Sooyoung hadn’t had a chance to see each other since they woke up that morning. In the preparation for the ball that evening, they barely had time to say good morning before they were whisked away to get ready for the arrival of their guests.

“Just hold still while I put in the last petal,” Jungeun said to her. Jinsoul had been pulled into her last fitting the moment she stepped out of her bedroom.

“I’m sure this dress doesn’t need a thousand petals on it. It’s beautiful, but I think there are enough,” Jinsoul said.

“Hush it you. I’m almost done,” Jungeun said, swatting Jinsoul on her side while she spoke. She finished a few seconds later and secured the thread. Taking a pair of small scissors, she cut the excess thread and tossed her supplies back into her basket. “There. All finished.”

Jungeun stood and moved behind Jinsouls right side. They stood there and admired the finished product. The dress itself was a dark, almost midnight blue. It was strapless and the cut in front was a little deeper than she was used to, but still respectable. It was tighter right up to her waist, and then loosened as it flowed to the ground. Extra layers of fabric gave it more volume, without making it overly large. Right around her navel, golden flower petals cascaded down the dress. Once they hit the waist line, they wrapped all the way around the bottom of the dress as well. Golden thread spiraled around the dress as well, connecting the petals to each other and helping to fill in the spaces between them

“It’s beautiful, Jung,” Jinsoul said softly.

“All I did was sew in the last flower petals. But thank you I worked really hard on it,” she said.

Jinsoul elbowed her lightly. She took a few more moments to admire herself in the mirror as Jungeun put her things away. “What are you wearing to the ball?” she asked.

Jungeun scoffed. “Funny. You know I’m not going.”

“And why not? I’ve already approved it and it’s in my kingdom. If anyone makes a comment, I’ll tell them off,” Jinsoul said, turning to face her.

“That’s not how it works, Jinsoul,” Jungeun said, slamming her box closed.

“That’s exactly how it works. I’m the queen and I’m asking my best friend to come to the celebration with me tonight,” Jinsoul said.

“Maid hands aren’t allowed to,” Jungeun said finally.

“That’s funny because I remember relieving you of those duties almost 5 years ago. You’re still here because you said you wanted to stay.”

Jungeun tossed her head back and rolled her eyes. “Jinsoul. I’m not going.”

“Is it because Haseul has to work?” Jinsoul said, stepping off the platform she was on and walking behind the curtain to change.

“Maybe,” Jungeun said after a moment of silence.

“That’s truly awful, Jungeun. I feel so horrible that your wife has to work the ball tonight. How she has to stand around next to my wife and talk to other royal families. I’m truly sorry that you’re refusing to just hang off her arm and speak with your friends that you haven’t seen in years.” Sarcasm dripped from Jinsoul’s words.

“Haseul has to do her duties. And she’s not my wife!” Jungeun snipped.

“Well then go with Yeojin.” Jinsoul popped her head out from behind the curtain. “And in case you forgot who Yeojin is, she’s your daughter.” She popped back behind the curtain as she mumbled to herself. “Won’t get married to her and yet you have a child with her, I swear to the Gods.”

“Well it’s not my fault we aren’t married. The law hasn’t been changed yet!” Jungeun snipped.

Jinsoul stepped out from behind the curtain just as there was a knock on the door. She pulled her shawl tighter over her shoulders. “You know what I say to that?” She asked, pausing in front of the doorway. “Fuck the law!” She opened the door quickly, greeting the servant that stood there.

“Your Majesty!” the young boy said, bowing in greeting. “Your presence is requested by Head Baker Wong in the kitchens for the final approval of desserts.”

“I approve everything that she has because I told her not to change it from last time. Here’s what you can tell them, though. Do you have something to write with?” The boy shook his head. Jinsoul turned and quickly walked to the desk in there, grabbing a spare sheet of paper, a pen, and a jar of ink. “Here you go,” she said, handing him the paper and pen. “I’ll hold this if you need it.” He put the paper against the wall outside the room and readied himself. “I want you to make sure there are extra apple cobblers for Sooyoung, extra blueberry tarts for me, and extra chocolates for Yeojin. Jungeun do you want anything?” Jungeun just stared at her. “And extra lemon-poppy tarts for Jungeun. Did you get all that?”

The servant boy struggles to write quickly, and he has to re-dip the pen four times, but he got all of her information, and then bowed and left.

“I’m pretty sure Vivi actually needs you down there to approve everything,” Jungeun said, hanging up Jinsoul’s dress properly for that evening.

“I’ll go in a second. We aren’t done talking.” Jinsoul stopped and folded her arms, looking seriously at her friend. “I want you to come to the ball tonight. You aren’t a maid servant anymore, that rule doesn’t apply to you. Yeojin is going to need at least one free parent and it can’t be Haseul. So don’t do it for me, do it for the excited 8 year old that you have legal rights over.”

Jungeun gnawed on her bottom lip, just staring at Jinsoul. “I don’t even have a dress,” she said after a second.

Jinsoul just smiled and walked behind the curtain, opening the walking closet and pulling out the first item on the right-hand side. “Yes you do,” she said as she hung up the dress on one of the hooks at the front of the curtain.

Jungeun’s jaw dropped as she took in the garment in front of her. “Jinsoul, what the fuck?”

“Haseul always said this was your color. And I think she’s right. Just try it on. We had your measurements on file already and if we have to alter it, I can get Yewon in here later to help you. Now will you please come to the ball tonight?” she pleaded.

Jungeun looked back and forth between the dress and her friend before giving in. “Fine. But you get to babysit Yeojin if she gets in trouble and all the blame will fall on you.”

“Absolutely not,” Jinsoul said.

After Jungeun tried the dress on and found that it fit perfectly, she found herself summoned to the kitchens again, needing her actual approval for the desserts for the night.

“When I ask for your opinion, I mean get your ass down here!”

Jinsoul used to feel threatened by the wooden spoon waving in her face, but over time she realized that Vivi was all empty threats.

“I knew it would have been perfect just the way you planned it,” Jinsoul said, picking some batter and licking it off her fingers. She dodged Vivi’s slap when she went back for a second time.

“Ok now get out. If you keep eating all my batter, there won’t be anything left for tonight.”

Jinsoul tossed a pinch of batter at Vivi, giggling at the annoyed expression she gave her. “You’ll be at the ball tonight, right?” she asked, leaning against the counter.

Vivi laughed once, sarcasm dripping in her voice. “I’ll be lucky to leave here before the sun rises. Baking for an entire kingdom isn’t easy.”

“Well you have assistants and I’m the queen and I don’t like hearing “no” for an answer,” Jinsoul said.

“I don’t have a dress. Or a date. Or even the desire to attend,” Vivi said flatly.

“That’s funny because I know of a certain Queen’s left-hand woman that was asking if you were going to be there tonight. She wants you to save her a dance,” Jinsoul said dramatically.

Vivi stopped what she was doing and froze. “Did she really say that?” she asked, staring at a random spot on the table.

Jinsoul shrugged and pushed off the table. “I guess you’ll have to come and find out.” Vivi stared at her, bordering on glaring. Jinsoul softened and took pity on her friend. “All she does is talk about you. You two spend hours in here talking about whatever and when you’re not around she does nothing but talk about whatever you two just talked about. You’re blind if you don’t see how she feels about you.” She turned and headed for the door when she finished talking.

Vivi turned and called after her. “I still don’t have a dress!”

Jinsoul called over her shoulder. “Then leave everything to your assistants and go see Jungeun and get fitted!”

Vivi stood and contemplated her options. After a long internal battle she threw her spoon down and wiped her hands on her apron. “If everything tastes horrible tonight, it’s your fault.”

Jinsoul ushered her out of the kitchen while she tried to bark orders. “I’m sure they know what to do. Now go get ready!”

She made sure they had the extra treats she had asked for on the list before she was satisfied with the spread. Just as she was about to leave the kitchens, she noticed movement by the back door.

Her curiosity piqued, she followed the small figure she spotted as they tried to sneak out to door. The doorway led to a small, secret hallway. The hallway ended with a locked door that led directly into a side alley. This door was used as the cooks entrance and was normally heavily guarded. Jinsoul followed the figure as they quietly snuck through the hallway and out of the doorway. She glanced around, wondering where the guards were before she realized they had been pulled to help with preparations for the evening. She lingered in the doorway, keeping it cracked as she watched the figure rush out into the alley.

The small figure glanced about before walking into the alley and setting a bundle that Jinsoul hadn’t noticed down, covering it slightly with a sheet. The figure turned their head, and Jinsoul rolled her eyes when she noticed who it was. As the figure backed up to the door, she opened it, slapped a hand over their mouth, and pulled them into the hallway a bit.

“Jo Yeojin, what do you think you’re doing?” she asked pointedly when she had let her go.

Yeojin panicked and whipped around to see her, looking panicked and seconds away from crying. “I’m sorry! Please don’t tell my moms! They’ll kill me!” she shouted.

Jinsoul pursed her lips at her. “Calm down. I’m not telling them anything just yet.”

“Yet?” Yeojin started.

Jinsoul held her hand up at her. “What are you doing out here?” she asked, placing her hands on her hips and staring down at Yeojin. She was a small child, and while Jinsoul wasn’t exactly the tallest person, she still towered over Yeojin.

Yeojin glanced at the still cracked door. She motioned for Jinsoul to follow her, then put a finger to her lips, telling her to be quiet. They moved back to the door together and waited.

After a few minutes Jinsoul leaned down to whisper to Yeojin. “What are we waiting for?” she said. Yeojin whipped around and shushed her, pointed aggressively back to the alley and said nothing. Jinsoul leaned back up and looked out the doorway. After about another minute, a young girl came creeping into the alley. Yeojin gasped and backed up, pulling Jinsoul with her. They could both barely see the girl crouch near the covered bundle through the crack in the door. They watched silently as she grabbed it and held it against her chest, looking around for any sign of life before running down the alley. They waited until they couldn’t hear her footsteps anymore before peeking their heads out. Yeojin went to the sheet and checked underneath it, making sure the bundle was gone before walking back inside the hallway and shutting the door. “Who was that?” Jinsoul asked as they started to walk down the hallway.

“I don’t know,” Yeojin said.

“How do you not know?” Jinsoul asked.

Yeojin shrugged. “I don’t know her name. I saw her digging through the trash a few weeks ago and I asked if she wanted to come inside the castle and get some food, but she told me she hated the castle. So I bring her bread almost every day.”

“Why didn’t she want to come inside?” Jinsoul asked, fixing a few stray hairs on Yeojin’s head.

“I don’t know. She just glared at me when I asked if she wanted to come inside. I don’t think she likes us very much. But she’s been nice to me and she likes the sweet bread the most, but she doesn’t like cherries because I brought her some and she tried it and spat it out. I’m going to save some chocolates tonight and bring them to her tomorrow. I hope she likes them,” Yeojin rambled. While she spoke, she reached up and grabbed Jinsoul’s hand. They held hands until they got back to the kitchen door.

Jinsoul smiled down at her, feeling a sense of pride. She stopped them right before they opened the door and squatted to get eye level with her. “That was very nice of you Yeojin. Keep trying to get her to come inside though, ok? If she needs food daily, she might not have a place to sleep. We can give that to her.”

“Ok!” Yeojin said. They stepped through the doorway together and were immediately stopped.

“Jo Yeojin! What did I say about sneaking off like that?” Haseul stood angrily, waiting for them.

“She’s alright, Haseul. We were just taking a walk,” Jinsoul said. Still holding Yeojin’s hand, she guided her over to Haseul, letting go only when Yeojin wrapped her arms around Haseul’s waist in a tight hug. “Yeojin was wondering what was beyond the back door. She asked and I went with her on a little walk. We went down the hallway, touched the outer door, and came back. We didn’t go outside,” Jinsoul said. She felt bad for lying to one of her oldest friends like this, but she didn’t want Yeojin to get busted for her good deed just yet.

Haseul eyed Jinsoul warily before relaxing and bringing an arm down to rub Yeojin’s back. “It’s ok. You just need to tell me where you’re going sometimes. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I’m sorry Mama,” Yeojin mumbled, feeling genuinely apologetic. “But I stayed with Aunt Jinsoul the whole time, I promise!”

“It’s true, she held my hand the entire time.”

“No I didn’t! I’m too big to hold people’s hands. I’m not a little kid,” Yeojin said, glaring at Jinsoul. Jinsoul just raised an eyebrow playfully at her and didn’t say anything else.

“Oh, well if that’s the case, then you don’t need to hold my hand while we go back to your room and start getting you ready for tonight?” Haseul said, pulling away and moving toward the kitchen doors.

“Wait, no,” Yeojin said, rushing after her and grabbing Haseul’s hand tightly.

Jinsoul watched them go with a fond smile and a wave. She slowly exited the kitchen after them, bowing her head politely at all those who greeted her. Over the next few hours she dealt with the florist, the designer, and the guards to make sure everything was running smoothly and to approve any last minute decisions. She barely had time to grab a bite to eat before she was whisked away to her room to get herself ready for the ball.

Her maid hand was styling her hair for her. Her dark hair was kept in loose waves, flowing gently. It was pinned back on the left side and swept over her right shoulder, but most of it cascaded down her back. The finishing touches were put on her hair as one of her escorts for the night knocked on the door. Jungeun answered the door and let him in. “Your presence is required in the ballroom for this evening, Your Majesty,” he said, bowing almost 90 degrees after he spoke.

“I’ll be finished in just a moment,” Jinsoul said. She stood and her maid hands made the last adjustments to her dress and hair before ushering her outside. “Kim Jungeun, you will put that dress on and join me in the ballroom later. Your wife is waiting on you.”

“We aren’t married yet!” Jungeun called after her, but the door was already shut.

Jinsoul hooked her arms through her escorts’ as they walked through the halls. “You look beautiful, little cousin.”

Jinsoul swatted him on the stomach. “You’re not even a full year older than me, Wonwoo.”

He chuckled. “That still makes me older.”

“Hush it, you.”

They descended the staircase to the second floor, winding through the halls to the second story entrance to the ballroom. They could hear music playing and the Herald announcing a few opening statements. “It is an honor, as always to be your escort, this evening,” Wonwoo said, slowing them to a halt. He turned and grasped Jinsoul’s hands in his own. “May tonight be a celebration for us all. And may your spirit be lifted by your people’s love and joy.” The speech was rehearsed, he said it every time he escorted her in for events. But it was written by him and meant from the heart. Jinsoul especially appreciated it tonight. This was the first time he was her escort for an event on her daughter’s birthday and they were just the words she needed to hear.

“Thank you,” she said quietly. He nodded and turned to face the doors. Offering his arm once again to her, they stepped into the ballroom. They appeared on the second floor, far enough from the balcony and the staircase to be noticed by any of the guests down below. Wonwoo walked Jinsoul over to the left side of the staircase and let her go, bowing and smiling at her before leaving the room to head downstairs. He would spend the rest of the night watching the ballroom and making sure everyone was safe. Jinsoul bowed her head lightly to greet the Herald. He bowed his head slightly in greeting as he finished his announcements.

The door opened again and Jinsoul spared a glance, seeing Sooyoung walking in the room. Time seemed to halt as they took in each other’s appearance. Sooyoung was wearing a deep, gold royal jacket. The bottom of the jacket and sleeves had a deep blue thread stitched into it, swirling and cresting with thick and thin strands, blending into the rest of the fabric beautifully. Her pants were black, with a gold stripe at the seams. Her jacket was adorned with various medals and pins, showcasing all she had done for the kingdom and it’s military in the time she has been queen. Two golden ropes wrapped under her right shoulder, signifying her position as leader of this country- by the military’s standards. Her hair was braided over her right shoulder. Some strands were escaping, no doubt from her fiddling with it after her maid hands were done.

“I see you went with pants tonight,” Jinsoul said after staring for a long minute.

Sooyoung approached slowly, unable to take her eyes off Jinsoul’s dress. “I wanted to piss people off tonight,” she said distractedly. “Beloved, you look absolutely gorgeous,” Sooyoung said, reaching out to take Jinsoul’s hands in her own. She looked her up and down one more time before meeting her eye and whispering to herself, “Beautiful.”

Jinsoul freed one of her hands and grabbed the collar of Sooyoung’s jacket, pulling her in for a kiss. Sooyoung made a surprised noise before sinking into the feeling of her wife’s lips. She wrapped her arms around Jinsoul’s waist and pulled her into her. They kissed for a long while, just a simple press of their lips before pulling apart slowly.

“I love you,” Jinsoul said, cupping Sooyoung’s face in her hands.

“I love you, too,” Sooyoung said. Sooyoung took Jinsoul’s hands in her own and held them tightly between them, placing a kiss on Jinsoul’s hands when she finished talking. They rested their foreheads together for a second before breaking apart and facing the stairs. Sooyoung offered her arms to Jinsoul, who immediately looped hers through.

“If everyone would please rise and direct your attention to the arrival of the Queens of Corona! Please welcome Queen Sooyoung and Queen Jinsoul!” the Herald announced.

They descended the staircase together, joined at the arm and waving to the people below. The staircase split in the middle about a third of the way down, giving two paths to choose from to walk downstairs. They walked down the right-hand side, or as their guests watched them, the left. Underneath the grand staircase was the main entrance into the Ballroom, where the guests would be entering from.

Most of the people in the room currently were lower ranked nobility and people who lived in the castle and surrounding areas. Visiting Royals and Dignitaries would be given their own announcements as they came in the doors. 

Sooyoung and Jinsoul took the long walk across the length of the ballroom to their thrones. They sat on a small raised platform that had only 3 steps. Instead of sitting right away, they stopped right before the steps leading up and greeted Jiwoo and Haseul where they stood.

Jiwoo and Haseul stood at the ready in their magnificent, deep purple jackets. Like Sooyoung, their jackets displayed various medals and ribbons, showing their achievements over the years. Haseul had two black ropes under her left arm, showing she was the captain of the royal guard. Jiwoo has a single white rope, showing she was a dignitary from another kingdom. Jiwoo had moved to the kingdom when she was 18. While she had been here for the majority of her life, her father was still alive and her loyalty still lied with him until he died and she was allowed to change her affiliation.

Turning to face the ballroom, Sooyoung and Jinsoul readied themselves for the Herald to announce their first arrival.

“May I present Lady Sunmi and Lady Chungha of the Kingdom of Corona, joined by their daughter, Lady Tzuyu!” he announced to the room.

Sooyoung did her best to suppress a smile and keep a neutral face. Her hands were clasped behind her back and she looked straight ahead, watching the family approach them. Jinsoul kept her hands together in front of her, glancing at Sooyoung’s reaction. “She won’t be able to contain herself,” Jinsoul whispered to her.

“I know,” Sooyoung whispered back. She watched the trio slowly approaching.

“She’ll make it to the middle and then run the rest of the way.”

Sooyoung tried to contain a laugh. “I have faith in her. She’ll at least make it to the yellow flower.” The ballroom floor was marble and was painted over with flowers. About two-thirds of the way to the end of the ballroom was a large yellow flower.

“She’ll have lasted longer than previously if that’s the case.”

Sooyoung barely had time to whisper “This is really going to annoy the council” before a loud, excited yell was heard in the room.

“Aunt Sooyoung!”

Sooyoung prepared herself for the small body that was incoming, squatting down a bit to pick her up and spin her around in a big hug. “Tzuyu!” she greeted the young girl just as excitedly. She set her down and pulled back, getting a better look at her. She was only 11, but she still came up to just below Sooyoung’s chest. “You look absolutely beautiful tonight,” Sooyoung said, pulling back to look at Tzuyu’s shimmering dress fully.

“So do you,” Tzuyu said with a wide grin.

“Do I not get a hug and a compliment?” Jinsoul asked, faking being offended.

Tzuyu smiled wider and launched herself at Jinsoul. “You look beautiful too, Aunt Jinsoul.” She wrapped her arms tight around Jinsoul, burying her head in her stomach. Jinsoul wrapped an arm tight around her waist, patting her head with her other hand.

By that time, her mothers had caught up to her, used to her antics but still politely annoyed. “Tzuyu I know you’re excited to see her, but remember what we said?” Sunmi said pointedly.

“Oh, right!” she said, falling back in line with her mothers. “It’s my pleasure to make your acquaintance tonight. Thank you for inviting us to this celebration,” she said while curtseying.

Sunmi and Chungha bowed slightly in greeting as well. Sunmi extended her hand to Sooyoung, only to be pulled into a tight hug. “If only father could see the way you’re running his kingdom. He’d have a heart attack with how relaxed you are,” Sunmi said with a fake scolding tone to her words.

Sooyoung laughed at her sister’s words. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you giving up the throne is what caused his heart attack.” They pulled away laughing lightly to themselves. “Enjoy yourselves tonight, please. And don’t worry about Tzuyu, this is a birthday party, she’s allowed to have fun. Some of the other girls will be here soon and if they want to run around the garden, they have my full permission,” she said, reaching out to pat Tzuyu’s head softly.

Chungha pulled her daughter closer to her. “Just make sure you free yourselves up at some point. I want to be able to talk to you this time,” she said, giving them each a playful look. Sometimes, the Queens have a hard time managing to pull themselves away from visiting dignitaries and wind up in conversation for the entire night.

“No promises,” Sooyoung and Jinsoul said in sync.

The trio stepped off to the side and the Herald announced the next guests. “From the kingdom of Aracnia, may I present Queen Minji and Queen Yoohyeon, joined by their daughter, Princess Gahyeon.”

Their walk across the ballroom was more eventful than the previous introduction, but not because an excited 11 year old was running toward their queen. Chatter broke out and everyone’s eyes were fixed on Minji. She was well known for her talent for the Arcane. She used her magic to aid her kingdom and help it grow. She mainly used it for healing abilities and sometimes putting on a show for the children in the kingdom. It was through her studies that she found a way for two women to conceive a child together that would be biologically their own. Gaheyon was conceived in this way and Minji passed on the information to neighboring kingdoms. When the news of this hit Corona, Dawon immediately informed the Queens and they began preparations for the twin’s eventual birth.

The family of three made their way to the Queens and greeted them with small curtseys. They seemed to have coordinated just as Jinsoul and Sooyoung had, with their complementary red and black dresses. Gahyeon was wearing a beautiful solid red dress, blending in well with the theme. “Thank you for extending the invitation to us,” Yoohyeon said, her arm still looped around her wife’s.

“Of course. We’re happy you could make it,” Sooyoung said, smiling at one of her oldest, childhood friends. “Gahyeon, eventually all the other girls will be here if you want to go play with them. Tzuyu’s already here somewhere,” she said softly to the young girl.

Gahyeon nodded shyly but stayed near Minji. “Thank you,” she said softly, curtseying politely in gratitude.

“We’ll catch up later,” Minji said, moving away from them for the next family.

“From the Kingdom of Odewan, may I present Queen Minkyung and Queen Nayoung, joined by their daughters, Princess Junghyeon and Princess Bada!”

Sooyoung and Jinsoul both cooed to themselves at the sight. “Oh when did Bada get so big?” Jinsoul asked.

Sooyoung answered while laughing lightly. “I don’t know but I’m not sure I like it.”

The family of four was wearing the colors of their kingdom. Sky blue and white were the main colors, with accents of peach here and there. Nayoung wore white pants with a blue royal jacket, while Minkyung wore a beautiful white dress with blue accents. The younger girls wore dresses each, with Junghyeon wearing a white dress, and Bada wearing a blue dress. Each of the girls had a small corsage on their wrist with peach colored flowers. They made their way up to the queens and greeted them properly, though Nayoung had to help Bada curtsey properly.

“Thank you for the invitation tonight. We’re grateful to be here to celebrate with you and to see the ceremony of the lights up close,” Minkyung said, one arm around her wife and the other resting on Junghyeon’s shoulder.

“We’re glad you’re here with us,” Jinsoul said. “And girls, there are a couple of your friends here already if you want to run off with them somewhere. They have our full permission to run in the gardens if they would like to,” Jinsoul said, speaking to their parents at the last part.

“Thank you, Jinsoul. We’ll try and catch up later?” Minkyung asked. At the Queen’s nods, they family and turned and walked away.

“May I present from the Kingdom of Corona, Mistress Dawon!”

Murmurs filled the hall, similar to when the Herald announced Minji and her family. Dawon greeted the Herald with a polite smile and a bow, before descending the staircase in a flourish of magic. Her form disappeared in a cloud of black mist before appearing already halfway down the ballroom floor.

Dawon was never one to hide her gifts of magic, something Sooyoung’s father detested when he was King. She never used her gifts for harm, and instead did her best to heal people and aid in defense for the Kingdom. She finished her approach by just walking, curtseying deeply in greeting. Her black, form fitting dress seemed to shimmer with starlight, and the Queens wouldn’t be surprised if they were real stars.

“Thank you for the invitation, Your Majesties,” she said, her smooth voice greeting them with a strange warmth to it.

“We are truly honored to have you here tonight, Dawon. We wouldn’t be having a celebration without you,” Jinsoul said.

Dawon smiled, but they could see lingering pain behind her eyes. The twins’ kidnapping took a heavy toll on her, just as much as the Queens. She couldn’t help but partly blame herself for it.

“Greetings aside, Lady Dawon, but I’m pretty sure I spotted Lady Luda a few moments ago. I’m sure you two have some catching up to do,” Sooyoung said with a sly look.

Never one to be subtle, Dawon turned over her shoulder and in seconds spotted the small, silver haired woman speaking with a few men from neighboring kingdoms. Sooyoung and Jinsoul both saw how Dawon’s jaw tensed before she turned and spoke to them, still looking over her shoulder. “Do you know how long she’s staying?”

“She’s here to accompany her father on some business dealings with our blacksmiths and armories. I think they’ll be here for 2 weeks, maybe longer,” Sooyoung said, trying her best to hide her teasing smile.

Dawon hummed and turned back to them. “If you’ll excuse me,” she said, curtseying one more time before walking off, headed directly toward her target of the night.

Sooyoung and Jinsoul shared knowing looks as they did their best to keep their composure. It was always interesting talking with Dawon.

The Herald announced a few more families and the Queens greeted them. Old friends and business partners walked up to them and said their brief hellos before walking off and letting the next guests do the same.

After greeting the Queens of Theoria, Saerom and Gyuri and their only daughter Jiheon, something caught Jinsoul’s eye. “Sooyoung,” she said, grabbing her arm tightly. Sooyoung followed her gaze to the top of the stairs and understood why her wife had frozen. She smiled to herself and placed her hand over Jinsoul’s, but said nothing.

The Herald spoke loudly to the room once again. “May I present, from the Kingdom of Stouria, Queen Nayeon and Queen Mina, joined by their daughters, Princess Yeji and Princess Yuna!”

Jinsoul’s eyes watered as she watched the quartet descend the staircase. For her, it seemed to take years for the family to reach them where they stood. The family bowed in greeting, and the Queens bowed back. Jinsoul was a little stiff and couldn’t tear her eyes away from the sight of them before her. Her eyes locked with Mina’s and nothing else. Nayeon and Sooyoung knew exactly what was going on, so they exchanged polite smiles. Yeji and Yuna were a little confused on why their mom was so quiet all of a sudden, even more than usual.

After a moment of silence, Sooyoung finally spoke. “We’re happy you all could make it.”

“We’re grateful to be here tonight to celebrate with you. Though it appears our wives have checked out for the night,” Nayeon said, lightly elbowing Mina.

Mina seemed to have snapped out of her daze. “What?” she asked, bewildered. She quickly recovered and addressed the Queens properly. She curtseyed lightly, prompting the younger girls to do the same. “I’m sorry, I just-” she trailed off, looking to Jinsoul again. “It’s just been a long time.” She left it at that.

“It has,” Jinsoul said, barely above a whisper.

Nayeon pulled on her wife, lightly as the Herald announced the next guest, and the family of four walked off without another word. Mina looked back at Jinsoul before they got too far, taking in her appearance one more time before she let Nayeon lead her farther away.

After about an hour of introducing guests and greeting them, the Herald seemed to have finished his long list. The music picked up again and soon the dance floor was flooded with guests from all over, dancing with their loved ones, or meeting people for the first time and sharing their first.

Sooyoung and Jinsoul lingered near their thrones as they took a moment to themselves away from any of their guests. “Well, my darling,” Sooyoung started, stepping away from Jinsoul and holding her hand out to her. “May I have this dance?” Jinsoul rolled her eyes at her wife’s dramatics but accepted with a smile. They started to descend the few stairs, with Sooyoung helping Jinsoul keep a hold of her dress, before she suddenly stopped and turned. “Jiwoo! Haseul! You have the night off! Go find your women and dance with them!”

Both of the guards stayed frozen as they eyed each other, and then Sooyoung. “Your Majesty, with all due respect-” Haseul started.

“-No,” Jiwoo finished.

“Yes. And that’s an order. Go and find Seokmin and Mingyu if you really feel the need to have your posts covered.”

“Sooyoung,” Haseul said through gritted teeth. “They’re not even here tonight.”

“Actually they just walked in,” Jinsoul said, pointing to the top of the staircase. The Herald had stopped Jungeun and Vivi as their names weren’t on the guest list, but when he glanced at the Queens from across the room and Jinsoul waved them through, he let them pass.

Haseul and Jiwoo’s jaws dropped simultaneously as Jungeun and Vivi slowly descended the staircase. Jungeun was wearing a deep red, sleeveless dress, similar to Jinsoul’s in style. It ruffled at the bottom and fit her perfectly. Vivi was wearing a lacy rose gold dress that was long sleeved and shoulderless. They made their way to the ground floor, disappearing out of view by all of the swirling bodies on the dance floor between them.

“Please go find them and enjoy the night together,” Sooyoung said before pulling Jinsoul onto the dance floor.

Haseul glanced over to Jiwoo, only to see her already pushing her way through the sea of people to get to Vivi. She sighed and stomped down the stairs, finding the guards Sooyoung asked her to and telling them to cover their positions for the night. She wandered her way around the edge of the room, keeping her eye out for a flash of red.

As if the crowd knew exactly what she was looking for, it seemed to part all the way to the stairs. Haseul now had a perfect view of Jungeun in her dress. She didn’t realize she was moving until she was standing behind Jungeun, taking in what she didn’t see as she was coming down the stairs. The cut of Jungeun’s dress was cut low, exposing most of her back. Her hair was down, a rare sight to see when she normally kept it up when she was working. It was slightly wavy and half pulled back, keeping most of her hair out of her face. Jungeun was looking in front of her, trying to find something on the left side of the ballroom. Haseul walked up slowly through the sea of dancing bodies, avoiding them when needed. When she was close enough, she reached a hand out and gently placed it on Jungeun’s lower back, careful not to touch any of the exposed skin.

Jungeun jumped as she felt contact, not knowing who it was that was touching her. With a small squeal, she whipped around and glared at whoever it was. Seeing that it was Haseul, she calmed down immediately. “You can’t just sneak up on me like that. For all I knew, you were some random man trying to cheaply feel me up.” Haseul barely registered what Jungeun just said, too entranced by her beauty. Her mouth hung open slightly as her hang hung low in the air, still not fully returning it to her side after getting Jungeun’s attention. “Haseul?” Jungeun asked softly, brow furrowing as she wondered why Haseul was so quiet.

Haseul seemed to snap out of it, tearing her eyes away from Jungeun’s dress and looking her in the eye. “I’m sorry,” she said to herself with a light chuckle. “You just look so beautiful. It”s been a long time since I’ve seen you all dressed up like this and I just want to take it in.”

Jungeun blushed heavily, all the way to her ears, and fiddled with her sleeves. “Haseul, you can’t just say that,” she mumbled, glancing around at anyone near them who might have heard her.

Haseul smiled softly and took a step closer. “And why not?”

Jungeun grew more red in the face, if at all possible. “You and I still aren’t able to act freely in public just yet.”

“The law is in the process of being changed, and I’m off duty for the rest of the night. You and I are just two guests at the same party,” Haseul said, stepping even closer to Jungeun. She reached out with her right hand and softly took Jungeun’s left hand in her own. She pulled Jungeun closer to her and spoke again. “Plus I’m sure if anyone has something to say about us that the Queens will kick them out or publically humiliate them. Or both.” They both laughed at that, feeling the tension ease off both of their shoulders. As they both calmed down, Haseul’s face suddenly grew serious. “And if I’m being honest, I’m dying to dance with you, love.”

Jungeun’s heart soared at the nickname. “Well, it’s only proper that you ask correctly,” she teased.

Haseul took the bait with a soft smile and stepped back. She loosened her grip on her hand and held it up slightly. “Lady Jungeun of the Kingdom of Corona, may I have this dance?” She bowed slightly for good measure.

Jungeun laughed before composing herself. “It would be my pleasure,” she said with a sense of fake haughtiness about her. Haseul straightened and let go of Jungeun’s hand, holding her arm out to her. Jungeun looped her arm through and they made their way to the dance floor. “Lady Jungeun,” she repeated. “I’ll have to bring that one up with Jinsoul someday. I like the sound of that,” Haseul laughed as she adjusted her hold on Jungeun, placing a hand on the middle of her back, feeling the smooth skin there under her hand. Her right hand was clutched in Jungeun’s as they twirled around the dance floor together.

They weaved in between all the other pairs on the floor, as they looked at each other and nothing else. Moments like this one were rare, where they could let their guards down and just be with each other. Something so simple as a dance meant the world to them when they usually had to keep themselves hidden.

Eventually they found themselves off the dance floor again, standing on the left side of the ballroom, near the open doors that lead to a balcony overlooking the gardens. The late November chill seeped its way into the area, but with all the bodies twirling in the large room, it wasn’t noticeable until you stood right next to it. Haseul and Jungeun kept their hands intertwined as they slowly walked toward the balcony. 

Just inside the doorway, they spotted Jinsoul and Sooyoung standing in a large group with many of the other Queens. They stood in a tight circle, no doubt to make it known they didn’t want to be bothered by any other dignitaries that would try and interrupt them. For a split moment, Haseul considered walking over and catching up with her old friends, but the feeling of Jungeun’s hand in her own and the promise of just a few moments of privacy was more inviting.

As they stepped onto the balcony they could hear the shouts of glee from the young girls playing below, but at the moment couldn’t see any of them. They made it to the railing and Jungeun leaned her elbows on it, crossing her arms to try and keep warm. Haseul stood behind her, and without a second thought, wrapped her arms around Jungeun’s waist and leaned against her, placing a gentle kiss against her exposed back. Jungeun turned and raised an eyebrow at her open affection but said nothing.

They stood there, listening to the girls play for a long while before a sudden chill ran through Jungeun’s body. Haseul pulled back and with an amused tone in her voice, asked, “Cold?” Jungeun nodded and Haseul pulled back. Jungeun hissed at the sudden cold air that touched her bare back now that Haseul was no longer pressed against her.

Haseul stretched her neck, feeling for the clip that held the front collar of her jacket together. She unfastened it and quickly started undoing the clasps that held the front of the jacket together as well.

“Haseul, no! I can’t take your jacket. You’ll be cold then, I’ll be fine,” Jungeun said, arms out and trying to stop Haseul from undoing her jacket any further.

Haseul just playfully glared and slid the jacket from her shoulders. She moved it around Jungeun and opened it behind her, resting it on her shoulders and pulling it tight around her. The deep purple clashed with the red of her dress, but neither of them cared about that. "Is that better?” Haseul asked softly, tugging on the jacket to pull Jungeun closer to her. She was still relatively warm, wearing two shirts underneath the jacket to keep herself warm in the late, fall chill. Her thin undershirt combined with her thicker, white guard uniform would be plenty for now.

Jungeun sank into the warmth that the jacket provided and leaned against Haseul, soaking up as much extra warmth as she could. Haseul wrapped her arms tight around her, resting her head against Junguen’s own. A loud shriek from below prompted them to peek into the garden, small smiles on their faces as they settled back into each other. Haseul took one of her hands and brushed some of Jungeun’s hair back, lightly running her thumb along her cheek as she finished. “I’m going to marry you someday,” she whispered, scared to say it louder.

Jungeun looked back at her, emotions pooling in her eyes. “I sure hope you do,” she said just as quiet. They locked eyes for a long moment afterwards, slowly inching closer as they did. Right before Haseul was going to close the last few inches, they heard a voice calling for them.

“Mama! Mommy!” They turned in their embrace to see Yeojin climbing the last few steps and running toward them. She slowed as she approached them, walking the last few steps and flinging her arms around them when she was in reach. She buried her head in the small space at their waist. She pulled back after a few seconds and noticed Jungeun’s dress for the first time. She pulled Haseul’s jacket to the side to get a better look. “Mommy, you look really pretty,” she said, before letting go of the jacket and letting it fall back into place.

Jungeun smiled and brushed some of Yeojin’s hair back into place. “Come here baby, let me look at your dress,” Jungeun, pulling back from Yeojin to properly look at her. Yeojin was wearing a light orange colored dress. It was long sleeved and silky, properly fitting her small form. Jungeun has no idea when Yeojin managed to get fitted for it, but it fit her perfectly and looked like it had taken a few weeks of work. Over the top of the dress, Yeojin was wearing a matching shawl to help her stay warm out in the cold night. It was tied tight around her neck and seemed to be keeping her plenty warm. “You look beautiful baby,” Jungeun said, leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead.

“Thank you,” she said, still catching her breath from rushing up to them. “I have a question. Am I a princess? Because me and the other girls were talking and they didn’t believe me when I told them.”

At that time, Yuna, Bada and Jiheon rushed up the stairs, coming up behind Yeojin and similarly out of breath. Jungeun carefully glanced at Haseul and prepped herself for the coming conversation. “No, honey. You aren’t a princess,” Jungeun said carefully. She was ready to keep going and reassure Yeojin that it was ok and that it didn’t matter, but she didn’t get a chance before Yeojin whipped around and was loudly exclaiming to her friends.

“See? I told you I wasn’t!” Yeojin said, putting her hand on her hips for emphasis. Jungeun and  
Haseul were confused, but stayed silent as the other girls spoke.

“But you live in a castle!” Yuna exclaimed.

“Yeah! You said you got to ride horses and spend time with the Queens and read in the library and all that other stuff! That’s what we get to do!” Bada said.

“Yeah, but I just live here. My moms aren’t royal, they’re just friends with the Queens,” Yeojin said, leaning back onto Haseul again. “I’m like a half princess,” she finished.

“Oh,” Jiheon said, nodding her head like she knew what that meant.

“Being a princess is boring anyway. At least you don’t have to sit through training,” Yuna grumbled.

“Yeah, that part sucks,” Bada agreed.

“At least you’re not Jiheon. She has to take over one day but you two are the youngest,” Yeojin said casually.

Jiheon stuck her tongue out at Yeojin and ran off back down the stairs. “Last one down is it for Tag!” she shouted over her shoulder. The other three girls shot off after her, racing down the stairs to avoid being last.

“Bye moms! I love you!” Yeojin shouted over her shoulder.

“Love you!” they both shouted after their daughter. Jungeun chuckled to herself as she heard them playfully shouting below them, turning back to Haseul with the same smile on her face. “One and done, darling,” she said, patting Haseul’s chest.

“You two are the only ones I need,” Haseul said, placing a lingering kiss to Jungeun’s temple. “Shall we go back inside?” At Jungeun’s nod, she grabbed her hand and led her back into the ballroom. Once inside, Jungeun slid the jacket from her shoulders and placed it back on Haseul’s shoulders, doing up the clasps for her.

On the other side of the ballroom, Sooyoung stood leaning against one of the grand pillars. The dance floor was about 10 feet in front of her. She had a perfect view of it as most of the people had cleared off of the floor, taking a break before the final dance of the night. She watched, enraptured, as Jinsoul spun around with her partner for the moment. They laughed with each other as they spun around each other before coming back in and grasping each other tightly. Sooyoung felt like she was intruding just by watching them. Out of the corner of her eyes, she watched someone approach and lean against the front of the pillar she was currently standing against.

“When was the last time they got to dance with each other?”

Sooyoung sighed as she shifted her weight. “I don’t know. Probably when we were still teenagers.”

“You were a teenager. I was an adult by then.”

“You’re two years older, Nayeon. And that’s not the point,” Sooyoung grumbled, rolling her eyes at the older girl. “The point is that it’s been too long.” They continued to watch as Jinsoul and Mina danced with each other, laughing loudly and enjoying the time together. It had been more than 15 years since the two of them had the time to interact like that, and their wives weren’t going to stand in their way. 

“It might not have been long enough,” Nayeon said under her breath.

“Why? Scared they’re going to fall in love again?” Sooyoung asked dryly.

“That’s counting on if they ever fell out of love in the first place,” Nayeon said bluntly.

Sooyoung hummed humorlessly. “That was years ago. Have faith in your marriage, Nayeon. More importantly, have faith in your wife.”

“You saw the way they were looking at each other when we walked in,” Nayeon said, her voice turning darker.

“That was because they haven’t seen each other in years, at least not in an environment where they can openly speak and enjoy each other’s company. But if you’re so worried about what my wife might be doing with yours, feel free to cut in and stop their dance.”

Nayeon laughed loudly. “I don’t have a death wish, Sooyoung. I know not to get inbetween them.” They were quiet for a long moment as they watched the two women twirl around on the dance floor. “I’m sorry if I came off that way. I have full faith in my wife, as I’m sure you do as well for Jinsoul. I know that their history is just history. I just can’t help but feel like she’s too good for me sometimes and that she’s just waiting for her real love to come and take her away.”

Sooyoung changed positions so she could look directly at Nayeon. “You’re an idiot and you always have been. I have seen the way that Mina looks at you since we were 16. That look hasn’t changed and I doubt it ever will. And if you need a reminder of how much she loves you, you have 2 beautiful little girls who can help you out,” she said, pointing over across the ballroom at the group of young girls that had now gathered inside.

Nayeon nodded, lost in her thoughts as she processed her friend’s words. “Speaking of,” she said after a minute, humor evident in her tone. “The girls have been getting up to a lot tonight. Yeji ran up to me earlier and told me that Yuna has a crush on Hyojung.”

Sooyoung chuckled to herself as she leaned against the pillar more comfortably. “Suyeon and Haerim’s daughter?”

Nayeon hummed as a confirmation. “Yuna looked ready to throw a fit, but she was more shy than anything else. Now she refuses to go anywhere near Hyojung. And the older girls think Gahyeon is lying about this older girl she met from a Kingdom to the East. They said she’s just making her up but Gahyeon is set on marrying her. And I saw Yeojin trying to secretly take a bundle of chocolates in a wrap, but no one seemed to have a problem with it, so I just let it go.”

Sooyoung laughed to herself, imagining the girl doing that. “As long as her mothers don’t find out, I don’t see the issue here.”

Nayeon nodded her approval of that mindset. “And let’s see, what else was there?” she said, exhaling as she thought. “Oh! The girls have been teasing Minjoo all night because they found out she has a crush on Lady Hyewon, who is the daughter of some Lord from somewhere. The poor girl was close to tears from how bad they were teasing her. Nakyung tried to make her feel better, but last I checked, Minjoo had run off somewhere to be alone. And that’s all I can remember from them right now.”

Sooyoung smiled to herself. “I’m glad they’re able to enjoy themselves,” she said, eyeing the group of girls again. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the sunset through the open doorways and noticed the staff begin to prepare for the lantern lighting. “I think that’s our cue to get one last dance in for the evening.” Nayeon nodded and the both stepped onto the dance floor, heading toward their wives.

“Forgive the intrusion, Your Majesties, but my friend and I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful you both look this evening. We were wondering if you would give us the pleasure of enjoying the last dance of the evening together,” Nayeon said, shooting them a playful wink as she kept her facade up.

Jinsoul and Mina looked at each other, still wrapped up in the other’s arms, and rolled their eyes. “I would be more than happy to,” Jinsoul said, separating herself from Mina and reaching a hand out to Sooyoung. She shot one more smile over her shoulder at Mina as they were led away by their wives.

Jinsoul and Sooyoung melted into each other, holding each other close and dancing to the music that played. Sooyoung had her left hand on Jinsoul’s back, using it to pull her flush against her. Jinsoul’s right hand was around Sooyoung’s back, resting between her shoulder blades. Her left hand was flat against Sooyoung’s chest. Sooyoung’s right hand laid atop her, lightly holding on and rubbing Jinsoul’s hand with her thumb. The last dance for the night was a slow song, fitting the almost somber mood that was taking over the Ballroom. Sooyoung pulled away and looked Jinsoul in the eye, speaking softly to her. “Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?” she asked.

Jinsoul smiled and rubbed her thumb against Sooyoung’s chest. “Only about a hundred times.”

“Then I haven’t said it enough,” Sooyoung said. She placed a gentle kiss against Jinsoul’s forehead, leaning her own against it after. They swayed together slowly as the song continued, and then ended. Everyone left on the dance floor gave their proper thanks to the small orchestra playing as they bowed and started to walk off.

Suddenly, the voice of the Herald echoed through the Ballroom. “If everyone would please join us at the front balcony for the lantern lighting ceremony!”

Jinsoul and Sooyoung turned and made their way out of the Ballroom, heading up the stairs and down the hall to the main balcony. Waiting for them on a table were the two lanterns, ready to be lighted and lifted into the air. As they stepped into view of the crowd below, silence fell over the people as they waited for their queens to speak. Holding each other’s hands for support, they both spoke quickly.

Sooyoung cleared her throat before giving her speech. “Thank you all for joining us tonight in celebration of our daughters. Today is their 10th birthday and we wanted to hold a party in their honor. May these lights shine bright and help to guide them back to us someday,” she finished with tears gathering at the edges of her eyes.

“We want to thank all of you for coming each year to light the lanterns with us. And we hope that one day, the lanterns will be the key to bringing them home,” Jinsoul said. “Whenever you’re ready, darling,” she said quietly to Sooyoung.

They walked back to the table and picked up the firestarter from the tray. Sooyoung sparked it and lit the moon lantern, carefully keeping a grip on it to not let it fly away just yet. Jinsoul did the same to the sun lantern, before setting the starter down. They walked back to the edge of the balcony and in unison, let the lanterns go. They watched as they soared into the sky and soon, the people below were releasing their lanterns as well to join the two. Jinsoul leaned into Sooyoung’s side as her emotions got the best of her, silently crying as they watched the thousands of lights illuminating the sky.

13 years

“Your Majesty, I mean no offense but I wish you would just listen to me!” Sooyoung was ready to run a blade through this council member if he didn’t stop talking. “The Kingdom needs an heir.”

Sooyoung grit her teeth as she talked. “The Kingdom already has two heirs.”

“I understand that Queen Jinsoul has given birth in the past, but this Kingdom needs an heir that is present.”

Sooyoung whipped around with fire in her eyes. “How dare you say that to me! And on today of all days! You think I don’t know this? I understand everything very clearly, you don’t need to spell it out for me any more than you already have. But I will not be producing another child. I can’t.” Her voice broke on the last two syllables.

“Then I’m afraid the line of succession will fall to another family, if you have no heir to the throne,” the same councilman said.

Sooyoung quickly walked up to him, getting right in his face as she jabbed her finger into his chest. “You will watch your tongue,” she hissed.

“I’m only asking this because you and your wife are getting to that age where having more children is a risk to your health. It’s for the good of the Kingdom.”

“Don’t try and talk to me about what is good for my Kingdom. I know what needs to happen,” she said, backing off and walking a few steps away. She wiped her face as she thought to herself.

“Then you need to make a decision. Or we will make one for you,” the High Councilman said.

Sooyoung looked at him with her head bowed as she slumped into her seat. “Give me some time to talk with my wife about this.”

“You have three days, until the end of the week,” he said. Sooyoung nodded and waved her hand, dismissing the meeting. The council members filed out of the room. Right before the High Councilman shut the door, he spoke to Sooyoung. “I wish the happiest of birthdays to your daughters,” he said, closing the double doors after he spoke, leaving her with her thoughts.

After a few minutes of stewing in her anger, she stood and quickly left the room in search of her wife. She found her in the study, standing over a table with Jungeun at her side. They were looking over some documents for an expansion to the castle. They looked up as she burst into the room and turned to slam the doors closed behind her. She leaned her forehead on the cold wood and breathed deeply as she tried to keep her composure. A few seconds later she felt a hand gently being placed on her back. She felt herself calming down at her wife’s touch and she slowly detached herself from the door and stood upright, turning to face Jinsoul’s worried look.

“What did they say?” Jinsoul asked, soothing some fly away hairs on Sooyoung’s head.

“They want us to have another child so that there may be an heir to the throne,” Sooyoung said, having trouble getting the words out.

“Oh,” was all Jinsoul said. Sooyoung nodded, unable to look at Jinsoul any longer. Her gaze cast down to the floor as she controlled the anger coursing through her veins. “Hey,” Jinsoul said, using a hand to lift Sooyoung’s face. “Talk to me.”

Sooyoung shook her head before she spoke. “I don’t know what to say. What do you want me to say, Jinsoul?” she said, stepping away and spreading her arms out.

Jinsoul crossed her arms and watched her wife walk around the room with her hands on her hips and her gaze to the floor once again. “I just don’t want you to bottle it all up.”

Sooyoung laughed without humor. “That’s rich coming from you.” She screwed her face after, immediately feeling guilty for speaking so harshly to her wife.

Jinsoul gave her a stern look. “You know what I mean. At least I’m acknowledging that I have bad ways of coping.”

Sooyoung stopped her walking and faced Jinsoul, lifting a hand up at her. “We are not entertaining this idea.”

Jinsoul nodded. “I know,” she said softly. “I don’t want another child. But the council has a point, darling.”

Sooyoung inhaled sharply and shut her eyes, controlling herself from taking her annoyance out on Jinsoul. “I know they do,” she said. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

Jungeun spoke up for the first time since Sooyoung entered the room. “Have you considered adopting?” Both of their heads turned to look at her, so she continued. “I know it’s not ideal, but it would give you an heir. And this way you wouldn’t be pressured to give birth in time to not risk anything to your health.”

“Are you calling us old, Jungeun?” Jinsoul asked, teasing her.

“I’m giving you a roundabout solution. I know it’s not ideal, but for the sake of the kingdom, this may need to be an idea that you do entertain,” Jungeun said seriously. She was empathetic toward them, but she understood why the council was so adamant about this.

Sooyoung and Jinsoul both sighed and sat down, Sooyoung in a large armchair and Jinsoul at one of the chairs at the table she was just standing at. “Jinsoul and I have spoken about this before and we agreed that we didn’t want any more children. We have two already,” Sooyoung said.

“The only issue here is that they need to be here in order for them to be considered heirs. We can’t continue the line of succession based on an idea,” Jinsoul said bluntly. A thick silence fell over the room as her words rested on their shoulders. She was right, they needed their daughters to actually be there. They may have been born all those years ago, but they weren’t here now and they were out of ideas.

Sooyoung placed her right elbow on the arm of the chair, resting her face in her hand. “Jungeun, will you please go get Haseul, Jiwoo, and Vivi? I have an idea that I want extra opinions on.”

“Of course,” Jungeun said, quickly leaving the room to fetch the other three.

Jinsoul stood from her chair and made her way over to Sooyoung. “Are you alright?” she asked gently.

Sooyoung reached her hand out toward Jinsoul and pulled her closer, prompting her to join her in the spacious chair. Jinsoul settled across her lap, leaning against Sooyoung’s chest and playing with one of her hands. Sooyoung’s left arm went around Jinsoul’s back and the other rested in Jinsoul’s lap. “I am. But I think I have a solution to our problem, and I just want to talk it through with my closest friends first, and now the council.”

Jinsoul furrowed her brow. “Do you have a secret child that I don’t know about?”

Sooyoung laughed and pulled her closer. “No, my love. I don’t. But I have a logical plan. Can we please wait until the others get back so I don’t have to explain it more than once?” she asked softly.

Jinsoul kissed her cheek softly, lingering for a second before whispering, “Of course.”

Sooyoung smiled tight lipped for a brief second. “Thank you. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Jinsoul said before connecting their lips. She kissed her gently but fiercely, trying to pour in as much emotion as possible into the gesture. They sat there just holding each other for a few more minutes before the others came into the room.

“You’re not dying, are you?” Jiwoo asked bluntly. Vivi hit her on the stomach.

“No,” Sooyoung said, shooting a glare at her friend. “But I need some help.”

“Of course. Anything,” Haseul said, leaning against the table and crossing her arms. Jungeun stood next to her, their shoulders barely brushing.

She struggled to find her words for a moment. Jinsoul tilted her head slightly to place a kiss on her shoulder, nuzzling her lightly before pulling away.. Sooyoung smiled gratefully at her before taking a deep breath and addressing them. “I have a way to guarantee an heir to the throne.”

Everyone else in the room stared at her. “What?” Haseul finally said, breaking the silence.

“Don’t you need an heir for that?” Vivi asked carefully, not sure how best to word it.

“No,” Sooyoung said. Jinsoul looked at her, extremely confused, but she said nothing.

“How does that work?” Jungeun asked.

“As Queen, if I don’t have an heir to take over the throne when I’m gone, then by the agreement of the council, I am able to appoint someone as my heir. Normally they want this person to be blood related, but special circumstances can be made and approved of,” she explained.

“So you can pick any person off the street to be your heir and if the council approves, they can take over the throne?” Jiwoo asked.

“Not necessarily. But that’s not the case here,” Sooyoung said, shifting in her seat.

“Who were you thinking of?” Jinsoul asked.

“My first thought was Tzuyu. She’s my niece so it makes sense to pick her. She’s grown up in nobility and teaching her how to rule a kingdom wouldn’t be too much for her to handle. The only problem is getting the council’s approval. When Sunmi abdicated the throne, the council basically shunned her. It was almost blasphemy to talk about her as if she didn’t grow up within these walls. If she can get approved by the council, she will be the heir to Corona,” Sooyoung explained.

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Vivi said.

“Who was the other you were thinking of?” Jungeun asked.

Sooyoung glanced between her and Haseul but didn’t say a word. She watched as they slowly realized what she was trying to say. “No,” Haseul said firmly.

“What?” Jiwoo asked, leaning around Vivi to get a better look. “What is it?”

“No,” Haseul repeated, more firm.

“Just hear me out,” Sooyoung started.

“I don’t want to hear anything that’s about to come out of your mouth,” Haseul said, her anger obviously rising.

“It makes sense to do it this way.”

Haseul pushed herself off the table and took a few steps toward Sooyoung. “I don’t care that it makes sense! She has received no proper training! She’s not a princess, she’s my daughter!”

“Last I checked, she was my daughter too. And you won’t even give her a chance to explain,” Jungeun said, reaching out for Haseul.

“So you’re just ok with the idea of Sooyoung trying to make Yeojin queen some day?” Haseul asked, looking at her wife incredulously.

“I’m saying we should hear her out. Yeojin isn’t her only option, she’s the back up,” Jungeun said, grabbing Haseul’s hand and using it to pull her closer. Jungeun wrapped her arms around Haseul from behind and rested her chin on her shoulder. Haseul clenched her jaw but eventually relaxed into Jungeun and nodded at Sooyoung for her to continue speaking.

“Yeojin was raised in the castle and doesn’t remember her life before you two adopted her. She has formal training on the behaviors and etiquettes. These things paired with the fact that she’s the daughter of one of my personal guards gives her a good chance of being approved by the council, if it comes to that. From that point forward is when she would begin learning how to be a proper princess and she would be given official duties to take care of. My goal is for this to not come to that, and for the council to approve Tzuyu instead,” Sooyoung explained.

Haseul and Jungeun were silent as they thought over what Sooyoung just told them. After a long moment of them silently communicating with their eyes, Haseul spoke. “Let’s hope they approve of Tzuyu, then. But if they don’t and Yeojin needs to be evaluated, we’ll take it one step at a time.”

“Please don’t make our daughter the Queen,” Jungeun added at the end.

Sooyoung smiled gently at them. “I’m hoping that somehow the twins will make it home before we need to come to that.”

“When do you need an heir by? Both Tzuyu and Yeojin are too young to start any kind of formal training,” Jiwoo said.

“The council just needs a confirmation. They would need to wait until their 21st birthday to make anything official. That’s why I’m asking now while they’re still young and there’s still plenty of time to make preparations,” Sooyoung said.

Haseul nodded and lowered her gaze. She was silent for a moment before she lifted her head again and spoke to Sooyoung and Jinsoul. “I’m sorry that this is so complicated for you two. I know that if the twins were here, none of this would even be an issue.”

Sooyoung and Jinsoul tightened their grip on each other’s hands as they glanced at each other. “Thank you”, Jinsoul said. “It hasn’t been easy on any of us.”

“Have you talked to Sunmi yet?” Jiwoo asked.

Sooyoung shook her head. “I’m going to visit her tomorrow and sit down with her and Chungha to discuss this. This is asking a lot from them and from Tzuyu.” Sooyoung rubbed her temple as she spoke, fighting an oncoming headache.

The room was silent after that for a short while as they all processed the new information. “I think we all need some good news and this sort of ties into something that Jiwoo and I want to tell you,” Vivi said, looking at her wife carefully.

“Oh, are we doing this now?” Jiwoo softly asked Vivi, looking at her carefully.

“All this talk about children and family lines, it makes sense to do it now,” Vivi said, just as quietly. She and Jiwoo had a quick whispered conversation before they straightened up with excited looks on their faces.

“Ok, we have some news for you all,” Jiwoo said, clasping her hands together with a big smile on her face.

“Yes, we gathered that much from your secret conversation,” Jungeun drawled.

Jiwoo shot her a glare before her smile was right back in its place. “Vivi and I are planning on becoming parents,” she said, reaching a hand out for Vivi to grab.

“Oh my god! Are you serious?” Sooyoung asked, her own smile widening in excitement for her friend.

“Are one of you pregnant already?” Haseul asked.

Jiwoo and Vivi shared a careful look. “No. And neither of us are planning on it,” Vivi said.

“Well then how-” Jungeun trailed off, a confused look on her face.

“We’re adopting!” Jiwoo said, her smile brighter than ever.

“Oh, that’s fantastic!” Jinsoul said. “From the orphanage here in the castle?”

“No, from the one in the town. Jiwoo and I have been visiting on our off days and we found a pair that we really like. We still have a few more visits that we’d like to do before we even start the process so it’s a lot of work still, but we’re happy with them,” Vivi said, holding Jiwoo’s hand tighter.

“And they seem to like us as well, so that’s a good sign,” Jiwoo said.

“Are they twins then?” Haseul asked.

“No, they’re not even siblings. We originally just intended to adopt one child. We met an older girl in the home, named Elkie. She’s 15 and the caretakers said that no one had any intentions of adopting her because of how old she was. Naturally we took an interest in her right away. But she didn’t want to go far from a little boy. He’s 11 and his name is Kai. She calls him Hyuka and he said that nickname was reserved for very special people in his life and the last time we were there, he said that we could call him that too. So he’s opening up to us, but Elkie is taking a little longer,” Jiwoo said.

“But we hope that with the next few visits and by telling them we want to have legal guardianship over them, that they become more comfortable with us,” Vivi said.

“When is your next visit?” Jinsoul asked.

“This Friday. We’re going to bring them into the gardens for the first time and have a little picnic and just talk. We think we want to do about 5 or 6 more visits before we talk to them about adoption,” Jiwoo said.

Sooyoung suddenly spoke up, surprising even herself. “Why don’t you invite them to the lantern lighting ceremony tonight?”

“Are you sure?” Jiwoo asked. “We know that it’s an important ceremony for you two, we wouldn’t want to intrude on anything.”

“You wouldn’t be intruding,” Jinsoul said, rubbing Sooyoung’s back.

“I want them there. If you plan on adopting them, I want to meet them at some point. And I think it will be fun for Kai at his age. And maybe Elkie will enjoy herself as well,” Sooyoung said sincerely. “It’ll be nice to have some fresh faces around here,” she added after a moment.

“I’m happy for you two,” Haseul said, a proud smile on her face.

“Well, I guess we need to go ask them if they want to come to the ceremony tonight,” Jiwoo said, looking to Vivi to get her thoughts on it.

“Yeah. We’ll leave you guys to finish planning for tonight,” Vivi said. She and Jiwoo left the room shortly after, leaving the two other couples.

Jinsoul slowly got off of Sooyoung’s lap, extending her hand to help her wife stand up from the chair as well. Haseul pulled away from Jungeun and grabbed her hand, leading her out of the room after the other two. “Sooyoung, I’m going to personally make sure the twins make it home safely, for no other reason than you are not making my daughter the future queen of this Kingdom,” she said, half joking.

Sooyoung and Jinsoul laughed loudly at her words and watched them leave. They were quiet as Jinsoul went back to looking over the expansion plans. “If this plan of yours doesn’t work, you get to carry the next baby,” she said in a flat tone. Sooyoung balled up a spare piece of paper and threw it at her, not entertaining her with an actual response.

17 years

Sooyoung sat alone in the great hall, slumped in her throne with her head in her hands. It was early in the morning and the sun had barely begun to rise. The large room was cast in shadows as the light barely peeked through the windows. She had barely gotten any sleep the night before, unsure of how to tell her wife the decision she had come to in the past weeks. She rubbed her face heavily and slowly picked her head up. Her right arm flopped onto the armrest of her throne as her left hand fell to her lap, running her hand over the items she had brought with her. As she ran her hand over the soft material, she opened her mouth and started singing.

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Heejin and dear Hyejoo, happy birthday to you.”

She picked up the twin’s blankets and brought them to her face, resting her elbows on her knees as she did. She dropped a kiss to each of them before resting her face on them, heavily leaning on her hands for support. Her eyes screwed shut as she tried to contain her sobs.

She didn’t hear footsteps approaching but she felt hands on her head, softly caressing her hair. It only took a second to recognize Jinsoul’s touch, and Sooyoung crumbled even further. She let go of the blankets and let them fall into her lap, wrapping her arms around her wife and pulling her in. She didn’t try to contain her almost full body sobs at this point, burying her face in Jinsoul’s stomach and letting her wife comfort her. She felt Jinsoul shake against her, no doubt about her emotions taking over her as well.

After a long moment of them holding each other crying, they slowly pulled away, but not apart. Sooyoung kept her grip around Jinsoul’s waist as she looked up at her. Jinsoul kept one arm around Sooyoung’s shoulder and used the other to wipe Sooyoung’s tears away. “Since when do you sing to them?” Jinsoul asked, her voice raw from crying.

Sooyoung swallowed thickly. “I sing every year,” she said, barely above a whisper. “I just like being alone when I do it.”

Jinsoul hummed low. “Only took me 16 years to notice,” she said softly. “Why are you up so early, darling?” she asked, looking at Sooyoung with her eyes full of worry.

Sooyoung steeled herself and looked up at her wife. “I want to call off the searches. Permanently,” she added quickly at the end.

Jinsoul froze as she looked down at her. “What?” she said, slowly extracting herself from her and taking a step back.

Sooyoung floundered for an answer as she saw how hurt Jinsoul was. “Jinsoul please,” she whispered as she stood up, placing the blankets on the throne behind her.

“Why?” Jinsoul demanded sharply.

Sooyoung deflated, all the confidence she normally held on her shoulders gone. Right now she wasn’t a queen, she was a scared woman who was out of options and out of faith. She had been faced with many grueling decisions in her life, but nothing compared to the look on her own wife’s face at that moment. “I want to stop the searches and channel those funds towards other endeavors.”

Jinsoul’s jaw clenched as she stared at her wife. “When did you decide you wanted to do this?”

Sooyoung clenched her hands and relaxed them a few times before she responded, trying to work up the nerve to just say what she needed to. “I got the idea a few weeks ago when I was going over the allocation of funds with the treasurer. It’s just been so many years and we aren’t any close to finding them and we could use the soldiers for more useful things and we can transfer funds where they would be better put to use. I laid awake last night thinking all about it that’s why I was in here so early-”

“Sooyoung,” Jinsoul said, trying to get her attention.

“-and I just didn’t know what or how to tell you about this-”

“Sooyoung!” Jinsoul shouted, getting closer to her and grabbing her face. “Stop,” she said, getting Sooyoung to calm down and take a breath. “I agree with you.”

Sooyoung stared at her in confusion. “You do?” she asked softly.

Jinsoul nodded as her eyes watered again. “Yeah,” she said, her voice breaking with emotion.

“What?” Sooyoung let slip in her daze.

Jinsoul moved her hands down Sooyoung’s arms, taking her hands in her own. “It makes sense. We haven’t found them after all these years of searching and we probably won’t with our current methods.”

“So you- you don’t see a problem with calling it off?” Sooyoung asked very carefully.

“No, darling. I think you and I need to find some closure in all of this. It’s time we admitted that we don’t know where they are and that we may never see them again,” Jinsoul said, doing her best to keep her voice even.

Sooyoung’s breath hitched at Jinsoul’s words. “That was so easy for you to say,” she said as tears welled up in her eyes.

Jinsoul smiled briefly before her face fell again. “It’s also time I stop bottling all of my emotions up and talk about things.”

Sooyoung chuckled lightly. “Lots of development this morning, I see,” she said playfully.

Jinsoul humored her for a moment before she became serious once again. “Sooyoung, I haven’t lost faith. I hope above all else that we will see them again. But you’re right, we need to refocus our energy to different things. They’ve been gone for over 16 years, we need to be realistic.”

“I’ll hold a meeting tomorrow and call off the search parties. I don’t want to handle any of that today.” Sooyoung said, tightening her grip on Jinsoul’s hands.

The sun had begun to rise further, casting more light into the room. It still wasn’t fully in the sky just yet, but the room had brightened ever so slightly. The room was filled with a warm, orange glow that seemed to cast away the heavy atmosphere. The arrival of a new day brought with it a promise of a better future, one that they could look forward to instead of dwelling on the past.

After a short moment of silence, Jinsoul turned and looked at the thrones, then out the window of the great hall. “Come on,” she said, letting go of one of Sooyoung’s hands and picking up the blankets with the other. “Let’s take these back upstairs and try and get more sleep.” Sooyoung nodded and let Jinsoul lead them out of the great hall. They slowly walked back up to their tower, climbing the grand staircases and silently walking through the corridors. They passed their room and entered the twin’s nursery. “Here,” Jinsoul said, handing Sooyoung Hyejoo’s dark grey blanket. “‘I’ll get Heejin’s if you do Hyejoo’s.”

Sooyoung took the blanket and gently folded it, laying it across the banister of the crib. Jinsoul did the same with Heejin’s pink blanket and stepped back, her hand lingering on the material for as long as she could. She turned and looked at Sooyoung, both of them with tears in their eyes. “Come on,” Sooyoung said, holding a hand out to Jinsoul. When she took it, she guided them over to the window of the room, opening the large doors and stepping out onto the balcony.

Jinsoul walked up to the railing and set her hands on it, leaning her weight against them. Sooyoung walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist, placing a long kiss where her neck met her shoulder. “I love you, Jung Jinsoul. And nothing is ever going to change that.”

Jinsoul turned her head and smiled at her wife. “And I love you, Ha Sooyoung. Gods know I’m so lucky to have you,” she said, tenderness dripping from her voice. She turned slightly and wrapped her arms around her wife as well, basking in the rising sun of the November morning. They watched as the sun fully peaked above the horizon, and as the morning birds awoke, taking to the sky to seek warmer places.

!7 years and 364 days

“Hyejoo! Help me!”

Hyejoo’s eyes blinked open to her still dark bedroom. Her eyes burned as she tried to keep them open. She rolled over, seeing her sister’s bed empty.

Another shrill scream filled the small space. “Hyejoo! Get it out! Get it out!”

She flung the covers off and put her feet on the floor. She stood and adjusted her braid, pulling any stray hairs out of her face as she very slowly made her way out of the room. “What do you want?” she asked as she lazily pulled back the curtain in their doorway. She looked down over the banister at the top of the stairs and saw Heejin crouched behind one of the table chairs.

“Hyejoo!” Heejin shouted as she spotted her sister. “Help me there’s a monster in here!”

Hyejoo rubbed her eyes and slowly descended the spiraled staircase, keeping her hand to the wall for support. “What do you mean?”

Heejin said nothing and pointed into the shadows of the tower. “It went over there and now I don’t know where it is but help me!”

Hyejoo couldn’t see much without any sunlight, which she was severely lacking this early in the morning. She walked over to where Heejin was pointing and looked around, moving things out of her way. “I don’t see anything.” As soon as she finished speaking, a tiny, bright blue colored bird flew out from where it was hiding. It flew around for a short moment before landing on the chair Heejin was hiding behind.

Heejin screamed and nearly fell over trying to get up and run away from it. She ran behind Hyejoo, clinging to her for dear life. “Get it out of here!” she yelled.

Hyejoo rolled her eyes and walked over to the only window downstairs, opening it up. She stepped back and moved toward the chair, awkwardly waving her arms trying to get the bird to understand that it needed to fly out of the window. After a few times of her doing that, the bird cocked it’s head and flew out into the morning sky. Hyejoo quickly shut the window behind it and turned to face her sister.

Heejin had tear tracks on her face and was sniffling. “Thank you,” she mumbled.

Hyejoo glared at her and then yawned. “Why are you awake so early?” she asked.

“I heard noises down here and when I came to check it out, I saw that thing flying around like it owned the place,” Heejin said.

“How did it get in?” Hyejoo wondered aloud.

“I’m not sure,” Heejin said, shrugging one shoulder. “Maybe Mother left it open.” Her face turned sour when she mentioned their mother.

“Mother never leaves the window open,” Hyejoo said.

“Yeah well, she’s not perfect, Hye,” Heejin said.

“I never said she was,” Hyejoo said gently, knowing how her sister felt about Mother. “Now can we please go back to sleep?” she asked, waving her hand towards their room.

Heejin nodded and the two of them made their way back upstairs and into their beds.

“Good night,” Hyejoo mumbled into her pillow, already half asleep.

“It’s morning, you idiot,” Heejin mumbled back.

“I don’t care.”

“Are you still going to ask Mother about your ridiculous plan to see the lights?” Heejin asked.

Silence.

“Hyejoo?” She asked, turning over to face her sister. Hyejoo was deep asleep already, mouth wide open and breathing softly. Heejin relaxed back into her bed and closed her eyes, hoping that their mother would grant Hyejoo’s wish and let them leave, only so she could run away and never have to suffer another day in this dreaded tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For reference, Sooyoung and Jinsoul had the twins when they were 24, so they're 24 + the twins age in each section if you wanted to keep up with that.
> 
> To make this easier on myself, during the ball scene when the twins are 10-  
> Yeojin is 8  
> Tzuyu, Gahyeon, and Hyewon are 11  
> Yeji, Junghyeon and Minjoo are 10  
> Yuna, Jiheon, and Hyojung are 7


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took me so long to post I had some serious writers block and I wanted to focus on some of my twitter aus more. I hope this chapter makes up for it. I'm trying to stay as honest to the movie as possible from here forward so most of the scenes, dialogue, and interactions are pulled directly from the movie (I watched it as I wrote this). It has a little bit of an original spin on it. Anyway I hope you guys enjoy and as always tell me what you think about it! Follow me on twitter @edelvelgs!!
> 
> Tangled is owned by Disney. I do not own any of the characters or ideas from it. All credit goes to them.

Hyejoo blinked her eyes open slowly for the second time that day. She stretched and laid in bed for a few more moments before she smelled food cooking. She glanced over to Heejin’s bed and saw it empty again. She tossed the covers off and planted her feet heavily, sitting up and stretching one more time before she stood and made her way out of the room. She saw Heejin standing at the stove, lazily using a spatula to cook something in their cast iron pan. The fire was going strong in the fireplace, warming the tower in the late autumn chill.

“What are you cooking?” Hyejoo asked as she winded down the staircase.

Heejin jumped slightly, startled by her sister. “Eggs. Mother also bought some bacon and she told me not to cook it but I’m doing it anyway,” Heejin grumbled. She wasn’t turning to face her sister.

Hyejoo shuffled softly across the floor, stepping up behind her sister and peeking into the pan. Heejin’s posture turned stiff and she turned her face away from Hyejoo. Hyejoo eyed her as she reached up to grab two plates and forks. “Maybe if you didn’t piss Mother off as often, she wouldn’t be so mean to you.”

“Maybe if she wasn’t a literal  _ witch _ she wouldn’t beat me either,” Heejin shot back.

Hyejoo stopped and really looked at her sister. She tried to lean forward and look at her face, but Heejin just turned away again, blocking the left side of her face. “Heejin,” Hyejoo whispered. “Don’t hide from me.”

Heejin stared down into the pan and after a long moment, slowly turned to look at Hyejoo. Hyejoo’s mouth dropped seeing the already dark purple bruise on the underside of her chin, near the back of her jaw. She wanted to ask what happened, but she couldn’t make a sound.

Heejin understood her silent question. “I talked back, as she was leaving to go shopping. I wasn’t awake enough to make breakfast for her and she got mad so I told her you and I were up early this morning and she didn’t like that so she hit me,” she said. Her jaw was tense and she wouldn’t look at Hyejoo anymore.

Hyejoo stared at her sister, not knowing what to say or do. It’s not something she’s not used to. Mother has beaten Heejin their entire lives. She treats her like she’s worthless and berates her for even so much as sleeping in too late. She’s never treated Hyejoo like that, though. She treats Hyejoo like she hung the sun in the sky. Hyejoo could never figure out why Mother didn’t love Heejin as much.

After a few moments of silence, Hyejoo finally found a few words to say. “Do you want any help with breakfast?” She knew Heejin would rather push the moment aside for now.

Heejin smiled softly and nodded. Together, they quickly finished cooking and plated their meals. They moved to the table and ate slowly, taking in the morning on their own time before they really started their days. They washed up the dishes quickly and set them aside to dry.

“You can wash up first, if you want,” Hyejoo said to Heejin. Heejin didn’t argue and went back upstairs to clean up and get dressed. Hyejoo settled back at the table with one of her books. She only had three, and only ever had three. She was honestly bored of them, but they provided a source of entertainment for a short while in her days.

Heejin came back down a little while later, washed up and dressed. Wordlessly, Hyejoo made her way upstairs to do the same. She quickly changed into a dark green dress, matching perfectly with the dark pink dress Heejin had put on for the day. “So what are you going to do today?” Hyejoo asked.

Heejin looked up at one of the higher points of the tower. “I’ve got a little bit of space left by the window that I’m going to fill in. Later I might paint over part of the clearing piece I painted. I’m getting bored with it and I have new ideas.” Hyejoo glanced over at the area Heejin was talking about, a pastel scene of a clearing in the middle of a forest. There wasn’t much that filled the empty space, but Heejin had put a lot of details into the grass and the sky and the clouds. “What about you?” Heejin’s voice brought Hyejoo back.

“I might just re read our books. There isn’t much to clean that doesn’t get in the way of Mother’s things. I also found all the ingredients for some cookies so I’ll bake those later.”

Heejin got excited at the thought of the treats. “Please do, it’s been forever since we had any sweets around here.”

Hyejoo giggled at her sister and they set about to do their own thing for the day. Hyejoo read her books as she heard Heejin climbing and grumbling to herself in the background. Hours passed quickly and soon Heejin was clamoring back to the ground level with her supplies in tow. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail and she had paint covering most of her arms and a few spots on her face. “What do you think?” she asked Hyejoo.

Hyejoo glanced up at the ceiling, still seeing the same blank spot. “You didn’t do anything?” she asked, very confused.

Heejin just smiled softly and pointed to a different area. Where the calm, light meadow once sat was now a dark, bold scene that made Hyejoo choke on her emotions. The light blue sky was replaced with darker hues of the night. Stars littered the space, but among them were larger circles of light. Where the grass was sat a small grouping of tall trees and on the trees were perched two girls.

“Happy Birthday baby sister,” Heejin teased.

Hyejoo blinked her tears back and pulled Heejin in for a one armed hug. “When did you even do that?”

“You were so focused on your book it was easy for me to get it done. Didn’t even take me an hour,” Heejin said.

“I love it. I love you,” Hyejoo said sincerely.

Heejin gagged and shoved her away. “Don’t get all sappy on me now. It’s just a painting.”

Hyejoo stared at the painting for a long moment, taking in all the details. “I’m going to ask Mother to let us go see the lights,” she blurted out.

Heejin stopped in her tracks, pausing in the organizing she was doing of her supplies. “You know what her answer will be, Hyejoo.” Her voice was low, and Hyejoo could sense the fear she was feeling.

“I know, but this is a big birthday and if you come with it’s not like we’re totally alone. I’ll do the talking that way she won’t get mad at you,” Hyejoo said. She didn’t sound like she believed in herself.

Heejin slowly turned around to look at her sister. “Just be careful with it. You know how she gets about this.”

Hyejoo nodded. She would really need to work up to the nerve before Mother returned later.

_ Meanwhile _

Choerry expertly slid down the roof, launching herself off at the last second to jump to the closest spire before completely falling off. She could hear her companions behind her as they all quickly climbed over the railings to get the top of the angled roof. They all jumped to the next spire and shimmied around it’s edge before landing on the roof they needed. They all landed with heavy thuds, and stopped for a brief moment when one of them hissed loudly.

“Just saw a guard the split second before I was out of view hang on a second.” The group stilled as Chaewon spoke quietly. They waited for a few seconds until they were sure the guards wouldn’t be calling out to them until they moved again.

Choerry peeked out over the edge of the roof to make sure the coast was clear. She quickly was distracted by the amazing view of the Kingdom that was offered to her from this vantage point. “Wow,” she said wistfully. “I could get used to a view like this.”

“Choerry!” Hyunjin hissed at her.

“Hold on,” Choerry said, holding up a finger behind her. “Yep! I’m used to it. Ladies, I want a castle.”

“If we do this job, you can buy your own castle,” Hyunjin said before grabbing Choerry by the shoulders and yanking her back.

A lastch in the door had been opened and they could all see down into the room below. Two shining tiaras sat on pedestals. About four guards were in sight, but they had been told there would be more in the room.

“How did you know this was here again?” Chaewon asked.

“I told you guys, I know all the secrets inside the castle. I have insider knowledge.”

“Yeojin, I’ve known you for more than 10 years now, and you still make no sense to me. But we’re trusting you because you’ve never been wrong before. And you’re sure that none of the guards face the inside of the room?” Choerry asked as Hyunjin was securing the rope around her waist.

“I’m sure. They all face the door because none of them expect someone to drop down from above. You’re all good, just be quiet,” Yeojin said.

Choerry nodded and sat on the edge of the hatch. The other three took up their positions at the rope. Choerry gently pushed off and evened herself with the floor below and let them slowly lower her into what she realized was a smaller throne room. The walls and floor were a deep, rich wood. Banners with the Kingdom’s colors and symbols were hanging in various places. Each tiara was sitting about 15 feet in front of smaller thrones. Choerry could tell they weren’t as elaborate as the Queen’s thrones, so she figured they must be for the lost princesses.

She gave the signal to her companions when she was close enough to each tiara and slowly swiped them both from their stands. She put the one with the pink accents away and took a second to admire the one with the black accents. At that second one of the guards in front of her sneezed, and she couldn’t resist making a quick joke. “Ugh, I know. This place is so drafty.”

The guard laughed. “I know,” he said, not fully turning around to see her. It took him a few seconds before he shouted “Hey!” and turned around.

Choerry had already tugged hard on the rope and was pulled up. The only thing the guard saw was her legs being pulled out of the hatch and the door closing heavily. “Come on girls! We’ve got riches awaiting!”

The quartet scrambled back down the castle the way they came. They cut through back streets and alleys to avoid being seen by any of the guards and soon they were making a break for it across the main bridge into the kingdom. “Can’t you girls picture me in a castle of my own? Because I certainly can! All the things we’ve seen and it’s only 8 in the morning!” Choerry yelled with glee as they neared the other side. “Ladies this is a very big day!”

_ Meanwhile _

“Ok, Heejin this is kind of a big day. I’m finally going to do it. I’m going to butter her up and ease her into it. She’s going to be home soon so we’ll let her get settled and then I’ll work into it,” Hyejoo explained.

Heejin sat at the table, resting her elbow on the surface as her hand was squished into her cheek. “You got this, Hye. Just stay calm.”

Hyejoo paced back and forth a bit as she wrung her hands. She was extremely nervous. She didn’t get the chance to hype herself up anymore when they both heard their mother calling out to them from below.

“Girls! Let the ropes down!” Their mother’s falsely sweet voice drifted up into the open window. It curled around them both, making them feel more trapped than they already were. Heejin immediately ran over to her painting and pulled the curtains down to cover it most of the way.

“Coming!” Hyejoo called out. She leaned out the window and waved to let Mother know they were working on it. 

“I’m not getting any younger down here!”

Hyejoo leaned back in just in time to see Heejin rolling her eyes at their mother’s words. Hyejoo moved to the side to give Heejin space to lower the piece of wood fastened with two ropes on the end. Once it was level with the ground, Heejin let go of the rope next to the widow and let it fall. Once it was close enough, she and Hyejoo both grabbed the ropes on either side of the window and slowed it down. Mother stepped onto the wood and with the help of the pulley system Hyejoo had perfected over the years, they slowly began to pull her up.

Less than a minute later, Mother was stepping through the window. “Ugh, Hyejoo. How you managed to do that every single day is remarkable. It must be exhausting,” she said as she stepped off the window sill and set her basket to the side.

The twins were both heaving from the effort.. “Oh,” Hyejoo started. “It’s nothing. It’s easy for  _ the both of us _ ,” she stressed.

“Then I don’t know why it takes so long,” Mother teased, poking Hyejoo’s nose fondly.

As Mother walked further into the tower, Heejin wildly gestured at herself, looking at Hyejoo bewildered. Hyejoo just held a hand out to get her to settle down a bit, but she understood Heejin’s frustrations.

Hyejoo watched as Mother walked over to the mirror and observed her reflection. She pulled at her skin and her hair, seemingly unhappy with how she looked. “So, Mother. As you know tomorrow is a very big da-”

“Hyejoo, what are these?” Mother interrupted.

Hyejoo blanked on an answer as she saw Mother almost glaring at the treats she had made earlier. “They’re cookies,” she finally said after a few seconds.

“And why are they here?” Mother asked, still looking at the treats with disdain.

“I made them for Heejin and I to eat. And for you, if you want some,” she quickly added at the end.

Mother’s head shot up and she glared at Heejin. Hyejoo watched her sister flinch just from the look alone. “Was this  _ your _ idea?” she spat at Heejin.

“I-” Heejin started.

“It was my idea!” Hyejoo practically shouted, wanting to save Heejin from their Mother’s wrath. “Because tomorrow is, like I wanted to say, a very special day and-”

“Hyejoo, darling I’m so very tired. It’s already been such a long day and I would love if you would sing for me,” Mother said, cutting Hyejoo off again.

Hyejoo hesitated for a second before answering. “Oh! Of course!” She rushed around the room, pulling Mother’s favorite chair over to her before rushing off and getting the little stool she always sat on. She rushed back with her hairbrush as she pulled her long hair from her braid. She shoved the brush into Mother’s hand and sat down, immediately starting to sing. “ _ Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine. Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine. Heal what has been hurt, change the Fate’s design. Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine.”  _ Hyejoo sang that song faster than she ever had before, finishing in what seemed like only a couple seconds.

Mother tried to get her to slow down, but in one powerful surge, the magic took hold. Mother’s hair lost it’s grays and her skin looked 10 years younger. “Hyejoo!” she exclaimed, unhappy with how rushed she seemed.

Hyejoo shot off her stool and leaned on the arm of the chair Mother was sitting on. “So as I was saying, tomorrow is a very big day and you didn’t really say anything when I kept trying to talk about it so I’m just going to say it! It’s our birthday!” Hyejoo exclaimed happily. “Tada!” she added at the end when Mother didn’t react right away.

Mother stood from the chair, pushing her away gently. “That can’t be, darling. Your birthday was last year.”

“Funny thing about birthdays. They’re sort of an annual thing,” Heejin piped up from where she was lounging on the windowsill.

“What did you just say?” Mother hissed at her. Heejin just rolled her eyes and went back to looking out the window.

“Mother,” Hyejoo said, trying to ease the situation. “We’re turning 18 and what I really want for the both of us- more than anything else this year. Actually it’s what I’ve wanted for quite a few years,” she mumbled.

“Ok, Hyejoo? Enough with the mumbling, you know I hate it when you do that. It’s  _ very  _ annoying,” Mother snipped as she stood and walked over towards the staircase. She picked her basket up as she went and set it on the table near the bottom of the stairs, sorting through the various fruits she had brought back with her.

Hyejoo was quickly losing her resolve to ask Mother her question. She glanced over at Heejin, seeing her already looking at her. Heejin just waved her towards Mother with a soft smile on her face, hoping that Hyejoo received her silent support well. Hyejoo took a deep breath and exploded. “I want to see the floating lights!”

Mother chuckled dryly and dropped the apple she was holding. “What?”

Hyejoo stood and quickly walked over to the Heejin’s new painting, pulling aside the curtain to show Mother exactly what she was talking about. Mother looked at it for a few seconds before laughing to herself. “Oh! You mean the stars?”

Hyejoo quickly moved over and grabbed a rope hanging off the wall, pulling it to let light into the top part of the tower. The new light perfectly showed a painting that Heejin and Hyejoo had worked on together. Star patterns and planetary movement were drawn perfectly into one of the segments between the tower’s beams. The night sky was painted using dark purples that faded into lilac, then into oranges and yellows at the bottom middle of the painting showed a bright sun. On top of the sun was the castle painted proudly. In the background behind all the stars and planets, were four animals. A rabbit sat on the outer left and a wolf sat on the outer right. In the middle were two more animals, a glorious swan and betta fish that seemed to be swimming along the wall. “See, that’s the thing. I’ve charted the stars. And stars are kind of an annual thing,” Hyejoo said. “But these lights only appear, every year on our birthday. And  _ only _ on our birthday and I can’t help but feel like they’re meant for  _ us _ ,” Hyejoo said, gesturing over to Heejin. 

Mother followed her line of sight, and her face quickly turned angry. “Was this your idea?” she hissed at Heejin.

“No, Mother! This was all  _ my _ idea. Heejin doesn’t care about the lanterns. But I do! I have to see them, Mother. And not just from the window. I  _ have _ to know what they are!” Hyejoo said.

Mother walked over to the window slowly, giving Heejin plenty of time to hurry away to the other side of the room. “You want to go outside?” she asked, gazing out the window. “Why Hyejoo,” she said, slamming the window shut and locking it. “The world out there is full of horrible things. There’s death and disease, men who want nothing more than to hurt innocent girls like you. Ruffians with pointy teeth, and cannibals! I keep you in here to protect you,” Mother said, playing a small strand of Hyejoo’s hair.

“I know. You’ve told me before. But I’m getting older now and this is the  _ only _ thing I can think of that I want for my birthday,” Hyejoo was practically begging her at this point.

“I said,  _ it’s too dangerous _ ,” Mother stressed again, holding onto Hyejoo’s chin a little too tightly.

“I’ll go with her. That way neither of us are alone. We’ll be safer together,” Heejin offered quietly from where she was standing.

Mother snatched her hand from Hyejoo’s chin and slowly turned over to look at Heejin. “Excuse me?” she hissed out.

Heejin shrunk in on herself. “I just meant, we’ll be there for each other. If that helps her case at all,” Heejin said, growing quieter as Mother stalked over to her as she spoke.

Mother raised her hand and brought it down harshly on Heejin’s face for the second time that day. “I didn’t say you could speak!” she screamed. “I don’t want to see you for the rest of the day!” She pointed up the stairs, giving Heejin no room for argument. Heejin quickly rushed around Mother and scurried up the stairs, disappearing into her room.

“Mother,” Hyejoo said, her own emotions thickening her words. “Why do you always hit her? She never does anything to you!”

“Hyejoo, you wouldn’t understand. You will never be able to see my perspective on things. Your sister is useless to me, and how I choose to parent the two of you is my business. You’re not allowed to question me on these things,” she said sternly. “Now, Hyejoo?” she asked again, her voice far too gentle for how harsh she just was with Heejin. “You will never ask me about the lights again.”

Hyejoo swallowed the lump in her throat as she tried to blink her tears away. “Yes, Mother,” was all she said.

“Good! Now, I have more errands to run, so help me get down.” Mother moved to pick up her now empty basket and walked back over to the window. “I’ll be back later!” she called out as Hyejoo started to lower her down.

“I’ll be here,” Hyejoo said quietly. She waited until Mother had walked all the way through the clearing and into the tunnel before turning and quickly heading upstairs.

Heejin was laying in her bed with her back facing the doorway, but Hyejoo could see her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. She slowly walked over to the far side of her bed and sat down. She gently placed her hand on Heejin’s waist in silent comfort. Heejin’s head was buried in her pillow and Hyejoo could only barely see the tear tracks on her face. “I’m sorry,” Hyejoo whispered, knowing her words could only do so much to comfort her sister.

Heejin didn’t say anything, but she reached her hand up and placed it on top of Hyejoo’s. They sat like that for a while, providing silent comfort until Heejin had calmed down enough. “Can you please be done with thoses stupid lights?” Heejin asked quietly, shocking Hyejoo when she spoke.

Hyejoo deflated a little bit. “For now. I’ve made her angry enough and she’s only going to take it out on you.” She waited for a bit before continuing. “But this is my dream. I’ve thought about this since we were little, I  _ have _ to go see them.”

Heejin sniffled and slowly sat up. She wiped at her face as she did, hissing a bit when she accidentally brushed the new tender spot on her face. “I know. And it’s not your fault she reacts so violently to everything I do.” Hyejoo didn’t know what to say in response to that. The twins sat there in silence for a bit before Heejin flopped back down onto her bed. “I’m going to take a nap. Wake me up never.”

Hyejoo giggled at her sister’s ridiculousness and stood up. “I’ll be downstairs keeping busy, then. Enjoy your nap,” she said as she moved to leave the room. Heejin just groaned and buried her face in the pillow again.

_ Meanwhile _

The quartet sprinted through the forest as they tried to put as much distance between them and the castle before the search parties inevitably caught up to them. They slowed to a stop to take a quick break, trying to catch their breath after sprinting for almost 2 miles. Choerry leaned her hand on a tree to brace herself. As she stood up her hand brushed something that caught her attention.

Two pieces of paper were nailed to the tree, each displaying the same message. The only difference were the faces and names.

_ WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE _

Choerry stared hard at her own face, while the other poster portrayed Hyunjin and Chaewon’s. Yeojin snatched it from the tree and read the smaller text. “Wanted for thievery and crimes against the kingdom. 10,000 gold pieces to whoever apprehends these criminals,” she read.

“Oh no, this is bad,” Choerry lamented to herself. She ripped her own poster from the tree and looked at it with wide eyes. “This is very, very bad.” She held up the poster to her own face. “They can never get my ears right!” Chaewon rolled her eyes while Hyunjin smacked Choerry on the back of her head.

“Who cares? All of us are wanted criminals!” Hyunjin said.

“Except for Yeojin,” Chaewon said, eyeing the girl curiously.

Yeojin just shrugged and leaned against the tree. “Not my fault you guys don’t know how to remain anonymous. Learn to hide your faces better.”

At that moment, thundering steps were heard on the cliff above them. Choerry, Hyunjin, and Chaewon all leaned out and saw the Royal Guard atop their horses. “We gotta move!” Hyunjin yelled, sprinting further into the forest. The quartet took off once more, running as fast as they could from the horses. Choerry slipped the piece of paper into her satchel as she ran, barely dodging a low branch as she fumbled with it. They all found themselves at a dead end, facing a cliff about 15 feet up.

“You guys give us a boost, and then we’ll pull you up!” Choerry yelled.

Yeojin quickly climbed onto Chaewon’s shoulders and Choerry then scampered up the makeshift human-ladder. She pulled herself up onto the top of the cliff and reached a hand down for Hyunjin to grab. The duo held their arms down for Yeojin to grab, when they heard horses heading their way.

“You guys go! We’ll catch up at the usual spot! Just don’t  _ fucking _ get caught!” Chaewon yelled up to them.

“Hey! Watch your fucking language!” Choerry yelled down to her friend before she and Hyunjin were taking off through the trees.

Yeojin scampered off of Chaewon’s shoulders and soon the two of them were sprinting away from the cliff. They ran for a bit, trying their best to stay quiet and not alert the guard. Chaewon was ready to make a break for the other side of the path when Yeojin suddenly tugged them down into an alcove she hadn’t noticed.

“Yeojin, we need to move!” Chaewon whisper-shouted.

“No, we need to hide and not get caught!” Yeojin replied the same way. “I can’t get caught by the Guard, my life will be on the line!” She carefully peeked her eyes out of the top of the alcove, trying to see if the coast was clear.

“Yeah, so will my life. But that’s a risk I’m willing to take so that our friends aren’t killed!” Chaewon was angry with her friend, but she took a moment to also look with her.

“No, Chaewon you don’t understand. If I get caught by the Guard, my mother is going to put me in the ropes herself! So just shut up and listen to me for once!”

Chaewon slowly turned her head to face Yeojin. “Your mom? I thought you said you were an orphan?”

Yeojin awkwardly stilled as she tried to come up with a response. “About that,” she started.

While the smaller duo was hiding for a while, Choerry and Hyunjin ran faster than they ever had before. Right as they broke away from the rocky cliff, the Guard was following quickly behind them. “Mother of the Gods, where did you all come from?” Choerry yelled behind her.

Five of the Palace Guards were charging after them on horseback, all of them with their crossbows drawn. “Retrieve that satchel at any cost!” shouted the Guard leading the charge.

“Yes ma’am!” the others responded.

Choerry and Hyunjin made expert use of their terrain, jumping over fallen trees and straying from the path to try and put some distance between themselves and the horses. Crossbow bolts fired at them as Choerry slid under an old, rotted, fallen tree. Hyunjin jumped over the same tree and they both paused momentarily on the other side as they heard almost 10 bolts sink into the bark. They both popped up and glanced at each other before Choerry ripped two bolts from the tree and stashed them in her bag for later. 

“What the hell do you need those for?” Hyunjin asked her while they continued running.

“I don’t know! They might come in handy! Grab your own!” Choerry called.

Hyunjin just dodged the next onslaught of projectiles shot at her when she paused for half a second to grab her own pair of bolts.

They took a sharp right turn as they were running, losing the other four Guards in the too small space. The General- Commander? Knight? The intense looking woman leading the Guard was still hot on their trail.

In a moment of genius that Choerry and Hyunjin themselves could never have predicted, Hyunjin managed to sprint farther ahead and grab a few fallen vines. Choerry just managed to pick up on her plan a split second before she was in range. She grabbed the ends of the same vines and pulled taught. Half a second later, the horse tripped up in the makeshift wire and sent his rider flying off into the trees. Choerry and Hyunjin quickly mounted the horse while it still had some momentum, but they only made it a few yards before the horse quickly came to a stop.

Choerry and Hyunjin were confused why the horse had stopped and was just pounding it’s hooves. They didn’t have much time to think about it when the horse started to try and buck them off. Hyunjin, without much to hold onto, flew about 10 feet in front of them before crashing to the ground and groaning. Choerry, the one holding the reigns, managed to last a little bit longer before being thrown off herself. The duo didn’t have time to try and catch their breath when the horse was biting at Choerry’s satchel. Choerry got a good grip on it before the horse could take off with it and they played a small game of tug-of-war before disaster struck.

In their little skirmish, Choerry had accidentally flung the satchel away to keep the horse from taking it. It landed a few feet away from the edge of the cliff- one that led to a river  _ several  _ feet below. Choerry and Hyunjin wasted no time diving for the satchel to make sure it was safe. The girls barely had time to stand before they were both barrelled into by the Guard horse, sending all three of them off the edge of the cliff and into the water below.

Choerry and Hyunjin hit the water hard and fought against the current just to resurface, but they managed to find the other among the rapids and get to the river bank safely. They heaved themselves onto dry land and rested for a long moment. Neither of them noticed where the horse had gone, and neither of them really cared. After a few minutes, they scrambled to their feet and trudged into the forest.

“Hyun, we’re going to freeze out here if we don’t dry off soon,” Choerry said, her teeth shaking against her will.

Hyunjin silently agreed with her, but they both knew they were too far from the kingdom and any of the neighboring villages, and they knew a fire could potentially draw attention. They wandered for a short while when they heard rustling in front of them. They both dived behind a large boulder and held their breath. After a while, they heard the movement retreating in the direction they had come from. They slowly looked over and saw the retreating form of the horse that was just chasing them.

Hyunjin went to lean against the vine covered wall behind their hiding spot, when she fell through the foliage, almost wiping out. “What the hell?” she mumbled, moving the vines out of the way to reveal a long tunnel in the rock. She glanced over at Choerry, making sure they were thinking the same thing before she entered the tunnel, holding open the foliage for her friend to follow.

The tunnel was long, but surprisingly well lit, most likely due to the natural light that spilled in from both ends. It only took about a minute of walking before they entered a large clearing. Rock walls hundreds of feet in the air surrounded what seemed to be an oasis. In the far right corner of the somewhat skinny, oval shaped area sat a tall waterfall that emptied into a little pond. A small stream flowed from the little body of water and spilled into a small opening in the wall- too small for a person to walk under. A few trees were scattered around, their bright red leaves barely hanging on the mid-November chill. But what attracted their attention the most was a tall, skinny tower that sat almost in the middle of the clearing.

Hyunjin and Choerry spared a glance at each other, questioning what their next move should be. The shouting of the Palace Guards and neighing of their horses, pushed them immediately towards the tower. They ran all the way to the base, looking around it for a door that might lead them up. “There’s nothing here!” Hyunjin called, looking up at the imposing tower.

“Looks like we’re climbing up then!” Choerry called from the other side. Hyunjin heard the sound of metal scraping against rock as she rounded the tower. She was ready to ask Choerry how they were supposed to manage that when the sight of her friend already 10 feet up the tower stopped her. “I told you these things would be useful!” she called down to Hyunjin.

Hyunjin rolled her eyes and grabbed her own bolts, copying Choerry’s way of climbing up the tower. It was surprisingly easy to scale the tall tower. She watched Choerry scamper into the open window and graciously accepted the hand offered to her. They slumped against the wall once inside and caught their breath.

“You ok?” Hyunjin heaved out.

“Yeah,” Choerry said, equally as breathless. “I’m just glad we’re finally alone,” she said, pushing off the wall.

Hyunjin watched in slow motion as a frying pan hit Choerry square on the back of her head and as she dropped heavily. Hyunjin gawked at their assailant, unaware of movement behind her as well. She didn’t get to watch as a second frying pan hit her on the head, sending her down along with her friend.

The twins slowly backed away from the intruders, lowering their makeshift weapons. “Mother’s going to kill us,” Hyejoo lamented.

“Mother is never going to find out,” Heejin ground out.

Hyejoo looked at her sister incredulously. “We have two potential ruffians laying on our floor! We hit them with frying pans! Mother is going to have to come back from shopping eventually! How is she not going to find out about this?” Hyejoo was close to breaking down from her anxiety.

Heejin set her pan on the table and grabbed her sister by her shoulders. “Hyejoo, look at me,” she demanded. “As the oldest child, I’m making an executive decision.”

“You’re only 3 minutes older,” Hyejoo said flatly.

“And as the one who is older among the two of us, you’re going to listen to me.” Heejin left no room for argument. “We are going to hide them until Mother comes home.”

Hyejoo looked at Heejin, expecting her to keep going. “And?” she asked slowly.

Heejin just stared for a few seconds before continuing. “Yeah, that’s all I’ve got.”

“Oh, yeah. Great plan you have there Heekie.”

“Hey! At least I’m trying! It’s not every day that two random criminals break into our tower!” Heejin rubbed at her temple as she tried to think.

Hyejoo eyed the two unconscious girls when she suddenly got an idea. “No, no. This is good,” she started. “We hide them until Mother comes home. And then we show her that we easily handled taking on two ruffians, and then that should be enough to convince her to let us leave to go see the lights!”

Heejin looked like she was ready to argue when she realized that Hyejoo’s plan might just work. “They don’t have pointy teeth, do they? And why are they wet?” she asked, eyeing the two bodies warily.

Hyejoo turned her pan over in her hands, using the handle to prod at the mouth of the one she knocked out. She shook her head at Heejin when her findings came up negative. Heejin did the same thing to the one she knocked out, moving her dark hair out of the way. She found the same thing- just normal teeth. Neither of them could tell why they were soaking wet, though. She stood up from observing the girl, something Hyejoo had yet to do.

“What are you doing?” Heejin asked her sister.

Hyejoo gently moved some of the girl’s light brown hair away from her eyes. “She’s very pretty,” she mumbled.

“Pretty?” Heejin asked her. “Don’t go falling in love with her,” she said through a light chuckle. She glanced back down at the girl in front of her, shocked to see her eyes opening. Heejin yelped and grabbed her pan again before hitting her on the head again, harder than she did the first time.

“What the-” Hyejoo mumbled.

“She was waking up, I had to,” Heejin said, sounding rushed.

Hyejoo huffed and stood up. “Let’s just get them in the closet or something.” The twins worked together to lift the bodies and carry them over to the large wardrobe. It barely ever had anything in it and was perfect for what they needed. After a few, long minutes of fiddling with placement, they finally got both assailants secured and in the wardrobe. The doors started to slip open as they backed away from the sheer weight, so Heejin wedged a chair under the handles as a makeshift lock.

“We have bodies in our closet,” Hyejoo mumbled to herself. “Heejin. We have  _ bodies _ in our closet!” Heejin didn’t really know how to stop the spiral her sister was about to have. “Oh my god, we knocked them unconscious. We could have killed them! They’re going to wake up and try and attack us or even kill us! What are we going to do? We didn't think this through well enough! We’re so stu- _ pid _ .” Hyejoo’s last syllable fizzled out as she noticed a satchel in the reflection of the mirror across the room. She looked over behind her and saw the brown bag laying on the ground, with something shiny peeking out from it.

“What is that?” Heejin asked as she walked over to pick it up. She pulled a large circular band from the bag. It was silver in color and riddled with diamonds and a dark gem stone, almost black in color.

“There’s another one,” Hyejoo said. Heejin reached into the bag and passed the second band to Hyejoo without even glancing at it. This one was gold in color and was decorated with diamonds and large pink gemstones.

They both turned the bands over, trying to make sense of what they were. Heejin stuck her arm through the large hole and let go, letting it dangle on her arm. She turned and saw Hyejoo peering through one of the large pink gems at her, her eye comically big from the stone. They both laughed at the other before turning and seeing themselves in the mirror. Slowly, Heejin started to place the band on her head, making sure the larger stones were facing forward. Hyejoo followed her example and placed the one she was holding on her head. Neither of the bands fit properly, and they assumed they were using it incorrectly. Suddenly Heejin reached up and switched the bands, handing Hyejoo the one with the darker stones and taking the one with the pink stones for herself. They placed the new bands on their heads, and suddenly, everything felt perfect. The bands fit perfectly on their heads, and they were both happy with the color choices. A wave of understanding washed over each of the girls, but they still didn’t quite know why everything just felt right in that moment.

“Wow,” Hyejoo whispered.

“Yeah,” Heejin whispered back.

Neither of the girls had any time to question what just happened when they heard their mother calling up. “Hyejoo! Help pull me up, darling!” they both heard her say.

“Shit!” Heejin hissed, ripping the bands from their heads and stuffing them back in the stachel. She hid the bag under the hidden step quickly and ran back upstairs. “I can’t help you, I’m supposed to be in my room. Just keep it cool, you’ve got this if you need my help just call for me!”

Hyejoo nodded at her and quickly opened the window, shoving the wooden board out of the window and letting it slowly fall down to the woman waiting below. It was harder for her to pull Mother up by herself, but she eventually did it.

Mother stepped onto the window sill, and then down onto the ground. “Hyejoo, darling. Do try to be faster with that. I don’t have all day.”

Hyejoo awkwardly laughed as she tried to catch her breath. “Right, sorry. Uh, anyway I have a surprise for you,” she said as she started to inch backwards towards the wardrobe.

“Oh, I think my surprise is bigger!” Mother said.

“I seriously doubt that,” Hyejoo whispered to herself.

Mother quickly turned around with a smile on her face. “I got the final ingredient to make your favorite dinner tonight!”

Hyejoo couldn’t even fake excitement over her favorite food from how nervous she was feeling. “Oh, wow. Um, that’s great. But anyway I wanted to talk to you about earlier. I know you said-”

“Hyejoo, I hope you aren’t talking about the lights again,” Mother said, her tone quickly turning dark.

“Well, I am. And I know you said you wouldn’t let me go because you were worried I wouldn’t be able to handle myself, but-” Hyejoo said, creeping backwards still.

“Hyejoo, I said no. Now I don’t want to hear you talk about this again.”

“But, Mother! If you would just listen-” Hyejoo kept trying.

“Hyejoo! That is enough!”

Hyejoo’s fingers just grazed the chair. “Mother, I really think that I’m capable enough if you would just let me show you!”

Mother snapped and threw down whatever she was holding. “Hyejoo, that is it! You are not leaving this tower! Ever!” she screamed, getting in Hyejoo’s face.

Hyejoo flinched away from her, letting her fingers fall away from the chair. She had never been yelled at by Mother before, and she was almost frozen in place.

Mother sighed and her face fell. She spoke as she turned away from Hyejoo. “Oh, great. Now  _ I’m  _ the bad guy,” she huffed to herself.

Hyejoo did her best to calm herself down. She glanced up at the closed curtain that separated them and Heejin, knowing that she heard every word. “I was just going to say-” she started slowly. “-that I know what I want for my birthday now.”

Mother sat down in a chair and rested her head in her hand. “And  _ what _ would that be?”

“New paint,” Hyejoo said. “From those shells you once brought?”

“Hyejoo, that is a very long trip. Almost 3 days time. And you don’t even paint, you have no artistic abilities,” Mother said harshly.

Hyejoo winced at the slight insult. “I know. They’re for Heejin. I just thought it was a better idea than the- stars,” she said with a long pause.

Mother sighed and stood up. She disappeared into her room and emerged a few minutes later in a new dress with an empty basket. She packed it with apples, loaves of bread, and other food she would need for her journey before turning to face Hyejoo. “I’ll be back in 3 days time. Stay safe. I love you very much, darling.” She leaned forward and placed a lingering kiss to the top of Hyejoo’s head before turning and opening the window.

Hyejoo helped slowly lower her down before she watched her walk to the tunnel entrance. Mother stopped for a second to turn and wave, and Hyejoo returned the gesture. She waited a full minute after Mother was out of sight before slamming the windows shut. “She’s gone!” she yelled up to her sister.

Heejin whipped the curtains open barely a second later and stormed down the stairs. “It’s about time.” She quickly made her way over to Hyejoo and wrapped her in a tight hug. Hyejoo didn’t realize how much she needed that after her talk with Mother. “I’m sorry she yelled at you,” Heejin whispered into her ear.

Hyejoo swallowed the lump in her throat. “It’s ok,” she whispered.

Heejin pulled away slowly and turned towards the wardrobe. “So what now?” she asked.

Hyejoo pulled herself together and turned to face the same way. “We find out what they’re doing in our tower.”

They walked over to the wardrobe, and carefully observed it. Hyejoo held onto the doors as Heejin moved the chair out of the way. Hyejoo quickly let go and backed up, standing even with her sister. At first, nothing happened. But then the doors slowly opened from the weight of the bodies, and the two assailants crashed onto the ground, still unconscious. Their hair and clothes were still slightly damp, but not as much as earlier. The twins glanced at each other, not knowing quite what to do.

“We need to tie them up. Fast,” Hyejoo said, taking the lead.

They worked together to quickly dismantle the rope system and grabbed two long strands of it. They then worked on one girl at a time, getting her up into a chair and tied up tightly. When they were done, they stood back and observed the two still unmoving girls.

“Do we try and wake them up?” Hyejoo asked.

Heejin was about to answer when she noticed one of them shifting- the one Hyejoo attacked. “I think she’s waking up on her own.”

It took a few minutes of her shifting and groaning before her eyes slowly blinked open. She didn’t lift her head yet, and it seemed like she didn’t have much energy to. She saw her restraints and pulled on them lightly, mumbling to herself as she became more aware of her situation. “Wha-” she started. “What the fuck happened?” She finally turned her head, seeing her partner knocked out next to her still. After seeing the other girl tied up, she pulled harder at the ropes, trying to free herself.

“Struggling is pointless,” Heejin droned.

The girl’s head snapped over to the twins, her eyes darting back and forth between the two. Her eyes seemed to linger on Hyejoo longer, after she got a good look at them both.

“Who are you, and how did you find us?” Hyejoo questioned, her voice shaking a bit more than Heejin’s did.

“Uh huh?” the girl hummed, not really paying attention to the actual question.

Hyejoo stepped forward, raising her pan again in what she hoped was a threatening manner. “Who are you, and how did you find us?” she enunciated.

The girl cleared her throat and shook her head to the side, trying to clear the stray strands. “I know not who you are, nor how I came to find you,” she said, slow and soft. “But may I just say-” she paused for a quick second. “-hi,” she finished, a silly grin on her face. The twins looked at her, very confused. “How you doing? The name’s Choerry. How’s your day going?”

Heejin and Hyejoo glanced at each other, even more confused. “Who else knows our location,  _ Choerry _ ?” Hyejoo asked, getting in her face with her pan. Choerry at least had the common sense to inch away from her.

“Alright, blondie,” Choerry started.

“ _ Hyejoo _ ,” the girl said through gritted teeth.

“Semantics. Here’s the deal. We were in a situation, gallivanting through the forest. I came across your tower and-” Choerry stopped, seeming to have remembered something in that moment. “Oh. Oh no!” she exclaimed, glancing around the room. “Where’s my satchel?”

“I hid it,” Heejin said, crossing her arms. Choerry eyed her like she was bored, but didn’t press the matter.

“So, what do you want with my hair? To cut it?” Hyejoo asked, slowly circling the captive.

“What?” Choerry asked, sounding more confused.

“To sell it?” Hyejoo asked, pushing the matter.

“No!” Choerry almost yelled. “Listen, the only thing I want to do with your hair is get out of it!”

“You- wait. You don’t want my hair?” Hyejoo asked, standing back a bit.

“Why on earth would I want your hair?” Choerry asked, disgusted at the thought. “Look, I was being chased, I saw a tower, I climbed it. End of story.”

“You’re telling the truth?” Heejin asked.

“Yes!”

Heejin hummed and reached for Hyejoo, pulling her away from Choerry so they could have a quick talk. “As much as I don’t like this idea, but she might be good for getting us out of this tower,” she whispered. “She might even get you to the lights.”

“I know, I need someone to take me,” Hyejoo whispered back.

“I think she’s telling the truth.”

“I do too,” Hyejoo said, glancing back at their prisoner. Choerry quickly glanced away when she was caught staring.

“I’m just not sure about her yet,” Heejin said. She was wary to trust this stranger. “And I’m especially unsure about her friend.”

“But what choice do we really have? This might be the only time we can get out of here,” Hyejoo said.

“We can’t just run away with them!”

“I know that! But we can use them as a trial run. Mother won’t be back for 3 days. We can get out, get some information on where to go, and then we can come back and prepare for the real journey. This can just be temporary, that way we know what we’re doing for real,” Hyejoo said, hoping Heejin agreed with her.

They stopped talking when they noticed the sounds of a chair thumping against the ground. They turned and saw Choerry trying to inch her way over to her friend, who the twins noticed was now shifting around and waking up. “Oh, nice of you to finally join us,” Choerry said sarcastically.

Her partner groaned and cracked one eye open. “Please stop yelling. My head is killing me.”

“Mine is too, what did you guys do to us?” Choerry asked the twins. They both just held up their pans in response. Choerry nodded out of respect.

“What’s your name,” Heejin said, walking up and shoving her pan into the other intruder’s chest.

She let out a quiet  _ oof _ and slowly looked up at Heejin, her eyes narrow. “Hyunjin,” she ground out.

“You got a last name?” Heejin asked, pressing into her more.

“You didn’t ask me if  _ I _ had a last name,” Choerry replied with a hint of amusement in her voice.

Heejin pointed her pan at Choerry without taking her eyes off Hyunjin. “Your last name doesn’t interest me.”

“But hers does?” Choerry said, not hiding the smirk on her face.

Heejin finally turned and shot her a glare. “You’re Hyejoo’s problem, because she’s the one who knocked you out.  _ You’re _ my problem because I knocked  _ you  _ out,” she said, turning to face Hyunjin again as she talked about her.

“I’ll give you more problems if you don’t untie me right now,” Hyunjin ground out.

“I’m going to hurt you-” Heejin threatened, lifting her pan back up.

“Ok! Hang on a minute!” Hyejoo said, intervening before Heejin did something. She pulled her sister away before facing their captives. “We’re prepared to offer you a deal.”

“Oh joy,” Hyunjin deadpanned.

Hyejoo ignored her and walked over to the curtain that hid Heejin’s newest painting. She pulled it to the side and addressed the pair again. “Do you know what these are?”

Choerry and Hyunjin glanced at each other, communicating silently before they turned back to Hyejoo. “You mean the lantern thing they do for the princesses?” Hyunjin asked, sounding bored.

A moment of realization passed over the twins, moreso for Hyejoo. “Lanterns. I  _ knew  _ they weren’t stars.” She felt the pieces connect in a way they never had before and her curiosity was only growing. “Well, tomorrow evening they will light the night sky with these lanterns. You two will act as our guides and take us to see the lanterns, and return us home safely.” she said with strong demand.

Hyunjin looked over to Heejin with a raised eyebrow. “You’re taking  _ her _ to see them. I’m just coming with so she doesn’t get hurt. I couldn’t care less about them,” Heejin said.

Hyunjin quirked a single eyebrow at her. “Fair enough.”

“Then-” Hyejoo said, getting everyone’s attention again. “-and  _ only  _ then, will I return your satchel to you. That is my deal.”

“Yeah,” Choerry drawled. “No can do. Unfortunately, we and the kingdom aren’t exactly on good terms at the moment, so we won’t be taking you anywhere.”

Hyejoo glanced at Heejin before she set her jaw and squared herself. She walked over to Choerry and heavily set her hand on the back of her chair, getting in her face and trapping her even more. “Something brought you here,  _ Choerry _ ,” she said, enunciating her name. “Call it what you will- fate, destiny.”

“A horse,” Choerry interjected.

“So we have made the decision to trust you.”

“A horrible decision, really.”

“But trust me when I tell you this,” Hyejoo said, flipping her pan over and jabbing the end of the handle into Choerry’s throat. “You can tear this tower apart brick by brick, but without my help, you will never find your precious satchel.”

Choerry strained her neck as far as possible, trying to alleviate some of the pressure off her throat. “So let me get this straight,” she said, sounding very strained. “We take you to see the lanterns, bring you back home, and you’ll give me back my satchel?”

“I promise,” Hyejoo stressed. “And when I promise something, I never  _ ever _ break that promise.” Choerry raised a single brow. “ _ Ever _ .”

Choerry glanced over at Heejin and got a nod in affirmation. She rolled her eyes and huffed. “Fine! I’ll take you to see the lanterns,” she said.

Hyejoo stood back excitedly, accidentally hitting Choerry under her chin hard with the handle of the pan. “Really?”

“Ow! Yes! Really!” Choerry said, groaning in pain. “Now can you please untie us?”

The twins worked easily to free their captives then set about preparing for their journey. They rushed upstairs to change into clean dresses and to pack lightly. They hurried back downstairs, finding their captives standing directly in front of the fireplace, their boots and socks taken off so they could dry them, even just the slightest. Choerry heard them coming and called out to them over her shoulder. “Where the hell did you put my satchel?”

“I’m not telling you, now stop going through our stuff!” Hyejoo shouted.

“Alright, if we’re doing this, we need to leave. Now,” Heejin said, staring pointedly at everyone. She turned around, making sure her body was hiding what she was doing, and bent down to open up the loose stair. She dumped out the contents- the two circular bands and a folded up piece of paper she didn’t care about- and pulled the satchel out before replacing the step. She turned around and tossed the bag at Choerry, who wasn’t expecting a bag to hit her in the back of the head.

Choerry opened the bag immediately and saw it was empty. “You’ll get them back when you finish what you agreed to,” Heejin said. Choerry huffed and glared, but put her satchel on with no other comment.

“So are we ready?” Hyunjin asked the group, as she bent down to put her socks and boots back on.

Hyejoo nodded, before moving to the window. She unlocked and opened it, looking out into the clearing. She glanced down the ground right below the tower, wondering if she had the nerve to get herself down there. A thought crossed her mind and she turned back to her assailants. “How did you two even get up here?”

Wordlessly, Choerry and Hyunjin held up an item in each hand. They moved to the window and Hyunjin sat on the ledge, ready to turn herself around and face the brick to start her descent.

“Why are those arrows so small?” Heejin asked curiously.

Choerry and Hyunjin stared at her for a long moment before realizing she was serious. “They’re crossbow bolts,” Hyunjin said.

“What’s a crossbow?” Heejin asked. Hyejoo was just as confused.

“You two really don’t get out much, do you?” Choerry asked, teasing them.

“No,” the twins replied.

“I was joki- ok! Let’s go!” she said, trying to avoid the rest of that conversation. Hyunjin lowered herself down with the help of Choerry, to make sure she doesn’t slip. Once Hyunjin was a few feet down, Choerry slipped down on the windowsill as well, holding onto the brick and digging her first bolt into the stone. The duo started their slow climb down, making sure to carefully place the bolts into the brickwork so they didn’t fall. “Are you two coming?” Choerry called back up when she was about half way down. The twins hadn’t followed them yet.

Up top, the twins were carefully reconstructing the pulley system. They couldn’t use it the same way they always had because they both needed to be outside the tower in order for it to work. All Hyejoo had to do was insert the ropes back where they belonged and turn the pulleys around to face a certain way, that way the load bearing pulley would run the length of rope they needed to hold onto to get down to the ground.

Hyejoo slid the board up onto the window sill as Heejin took a second to grab something from the kitchen. “What are you doing?” Hyejoo asked.

Heejin silently held up two of their larger knives and handed one to Hyejoo when she was close enough. “A frying pan won’t really cut it out there. These are just in case something happens.”

Hyejoo slipped the knife into her small bag and stood on the windowsill. She held a hand out to hoist Heejin up with her. Still holding on to her sister’s hand, she carefully looked down below them. Hyunjin was still a few feet above the ground, the both of them still climbing down slowly. Hyejoo grabbed a hold of the rope on her side, prompting Heejin to do the same. Hyejoo kicked the board off the sill and watched as it swung out and then clattered against the brick work. “Ready?” she asked Heejin. At Heejin’s nod, they spared one last glance inside their tower before stepping onto the piece of wood.

It held their weight well enough, and it swayed gently in its place. The twins let go of each other’s hands and shifted to stand back to back. “On three,” Heejin said over her shoulder. On her count, the twins settled into an easy rhythm. They slowly lowered themselves to the ground below, lifting the rope over their heads before grabbing onto a lower portion.

Choerry and Hyunjin greeted them on the ground below, all of them breathing hard from their efforts. The twins had yet to step off their board, too nervous to touch the ground for the first time. Eventually Hyejoo had enough of waiting and gently moved her bare foot off the wood and onto the soft grass for the first time in her life. She slowly walked on it, forgetting she was with other people. In her daze, she hadn’t realized she walked right into the small creek next to the tower, feeling the cool, flowing water against her feet. She laughed to herself and looked back at her sister, seeing her amazed at the grass as well.

Their moment of unbridled joy was interrupted when a hummingbird flew around, curious at all the humans standing there. Heejin let out a piercing shriek, latching onto the person closest to her- unfortunately for that person, it was Hyunjin. She stood with her arms awkwardly extended out, wanting nothing to do with the contact she was forced into. “I take it you’re scared of birds?” Hyunjin droned, looking very uncomfortable.

“Get it away!” Heejin yelled, close to tears.

“Shoo. Fly. Away,” Hyunjin said, unmoving and not really doing anything to make it leave. The bird seemed to get the message and flew off into one of the trees. Everyone waited for a few seconds before Hyunjin spoke. “Can you get off me now?”

Heejin retracted like she had just been burned. “Sorry,” she said, her entire face red.

“Ladies, if you’re ready to head out, the exit is that way,” Choerry said, pointing.

Hyejoo remembered something then. “Wait! The ropes.” She walked toward the wooden plank and cut the rope as close to the knots as possible. She tossed the wood to the side and watched it spin before landing in the river. Heejin came over and together they pulled the ropes out through the pulley system. With the way Hyejoo has just rigged it, the ropes pulled free and tumbled down to the ground. They each took one piece of the thick rope and would it up around their elbow before tying it off loosely and putting it in their bags.

“Now we’re ready,” Heejin said.

The group migrated towards the tunnel and the twins found it surprisingly easy to leave everything behind without a second thought. They emerged on the other side of the tunnel, deep in the woods. The light shone beautifully through the trees and they could hear the wind rustling through the leaves and the small sounds of animals chirping.

“I can’t believe we did this,” Hyejoo mumbled.

“Yeah,” Heejin said.

“Mother is going to kill us.”

“She’s never going to find out.”

“We’re horrible daughters for just leaving like that.”

“I’m never going back.”

“This is the worst day of my life!”

“This is the  _ best _ day of my life!”

“Heejin! We made a mistake! We have to go home right now!” Hyejoo said, grabbing her sister by the shoulders. Hyejoo snapped out of her state when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“You know, I couldn’t help but overhear you two and I can tell you seem a little at war with yourself there, Hye,” Choerry said.

“What?” Hyejoo asked, confused.

“Now I don’t know the full story, I’m just picking up pieces. Overprotective mother, forbidden road trip. This is serious stuff.” She pulled away, squaring herself with Hyejoo now that she had let go of her sister. “But let me ease your conscience. This is part of growing up. A little rebellion, a little adventure. It’s good! Healthy even!” Choerry shared a glance with Hyunjin, knowing she had picked up on what she was doing by now.

Hyejoo seemed to breathe easier and her posture relaxed. “Really?”

“Really. You’re way overthinking this, trust me. Does your mother deserve this? No.”

“Yes.”

Choerry ignored Heejin’s interjection. “Would this break her heart and crush her soul? Of course. But you’ve just got to do it.”

Hyejoo’s face fell. “ _ ”Break her heart” _ ?”

Choerry picked a berry off a nearby bush. “In half.”

“ _ ”Crush her soul” _ ?”

Choerry crushed the fruit between her fingers. “Like a berry.”

“She would be heartbroken. You’re right,” Hyejoo said as a wave of realization washed over her.

“Ok, hang on a second,” Heejin interrupted. “You’re obviously just manipulating her.”

Choerry held a hand up. “I’m not finished.” She turned back to Hyejoo. “I am right, aren’t I? Oh bother. All right. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m letting you out of the deal.”

Hyejoo snapped back into focus. “What?”

Choerry held her hands up in defense. “That’s right, but don’t thank me.” She slung an arm around Hyejoo’s shoulders and started to guide her back towards the direction of the tunnel. “Let’s just turn around and get you home. I get back my satchel, you get back to a mother-daughter relationship based on mutual trust-” Heejin’s scoff was ignored as Choerry just kept going. “-and we part ways as unlikely friends.”

Hyejoo shoved her off of her. “What? No. I am seeing those lanterns.”

Choerry reacted with a swing of her arms. “Oh come on! What is it going to take for me to get my satchel back?”

Hyejoo pulled the knife from her bag and pointed it at Choerry’s throat. “I will use this.”

A split second later, a loud rustling was heard in the bush closest to them. Hyejoo latched onto Choerry’s back, her legs wrapped tight around her waist. Choerry didn’t seem affected by the sudden weight of an extra person. Heejin and Hyunjin were in a similar position

“What is that? Ruffians? Thugs? Have they come for me?” Hyejoo asked, pointing her knife at the bush.

A small rabbit appeared half a second later, looking quizzically at them. “Stay calm. It can probably smell fear,” Choerry droned.

Hyejoo relaxed and let go of Choerry, placing her feet back on the ground. “Oh,” she said with an awkward laugh. “I’m sorry, I guess I’m just a little jumpy”

Choerry seemed to get an idea then, and shared a quick look with Hyunjin. They were on the same page. “Would probably be best if we avoided ruffians and thugs, though.”

Hyejoo was still laughing, though she didn’t know why. “Yeah, that would probably be best.”

“Are you guys hungry?” Hyunjin asked suddenly. “I know a great place for lunch.”

“Uh, where?” Heejin asked.

“Oh don’t you worry. You’ll know it when you smell it,” Choerry said. She grabbed Hyejoo’s wrist and pulled her along, taking the lead.

_ Meanwhile _

Mother was quickly walking through the forest, wanting to make this trip as short as possible. She had no problem getting gifts for Hyejoo, but when the gifts involved her sister, she was less than pleased to acquire them.

The walk had been peaceful so far, but a rustling in the trees near her caught her attention. Just as she was going to observe it, a large, white horse jumped out, posing like she was a threat to it. She jumped back in shock, frightened by the look in its eyes. The horse seemed to deflate, as if she wasn’t the person it was looking for.

She relaxed herself and huffed. “A palace horse,” she scoffed out. Realization washed over her. “Where’s your rider?” she asked, feeling panic rising in her. She whipped around in the direction of the tower. “Hyejoo!” she shouted.

She dropped her basket and sprinted back where she came from. Dread filled her the entire time. She felt as if she had never moved so quickly in all of her long, long life. Finally, she came upon the tunnel, the clearing, and the tower itself. She rushed to just below the window and called up to the girls. There was no response. She called again and when there was still no response, she raced around the back side of the tower, and up the small hill. Hidden among the stones was a secret door that only she knew about. After digging out just enough space for her to fit through, she opened the door and rushed up the secret staircase. She emerged in the main area of the tower, lifting up a floor panel and setting it to the side.

The tower was dark, and there was no sound. The window was still wide open. She rushed up to the girl’s room, finding it empty. She tore every part of the apart and found no sign of the girls. She was pulling at her hair, driving herself crazy trying to think where they would have gone or what could have happened to them, when she noticed something twinkling in the moonlight. She pulled up a hidden staircase, revealing two tiaras and a single piece of folded paper. She recognized the tiaras immediately and could only imagine how they ended up in her tower. She ignored them in favor of the paper. She unfolded it and read the contents to herself.

_ WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE _

She read the name on it before folding it back up and tucking it into her waist band. She grabbed the tiaras and placed them in her own satchel before moving to her room. She grabbed a small dagger before heading back out of the tower. She was going to find this Choerry and bring Hyejoo home.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The is a long one. I packed a lot of stuff in here, but the next chapter is nearly the same length so it felt right to split them up the way I did. I hope you guys enjoy!! follow me on twitter @edievelgs

“I know it’s around here somewhere,” Choerry said overdramatically. They were coming up on a marked path. Fence posts popped up and along them, stood a sign. “Ah! There it is! The Snuggly Duckling!” she said, facing the twins. Hyunjin was trying her best to contain her laughter. “Don’t worry, it’s a quaint place. Perfect for you. Don’t want you getting scared and giving up on your deal, now do we?”

“Well, I do like ducklings,” Hyejoo said, eyeing the lopsided building.

“Yay!” Choerry said, her fake smile showing from miles away. Luckily Hyejoo didn’t pick up on it and if Heejin did, she didn’t say anything.

The quartet walked up to the building. With a harsh pull, Choerry brought Hyejoo level with her and slammed the door open. “Garcon! Your finest table please!”

Hyejoo’s face dropped as she took in the interior of the Snuggly Duckling.

Large, hulking men seemed to cover every surface of the small, run down shack. Various weapons were so casually on display, either on the wall, just sitting on the table, or in someone’s hands. Every head turned to them at the loud intrusion- men stopped with food in their hands, drinks in their mouths, and mid conversation.

Choerry slung her arm tight around Hyejoo as she froze up. “Well I say we head on in and get our usual table. I don’t know what I’m thinking of getting today. Hyunjin what are you going to get?”

Hyunjin was similarly toting Heejin into the building and kicked the door shut behind them. “I haven’t decided yet. Everything here just tastes so good.”

“I think I’m in the mood for some forest rabbit. Your thoughts?” Choerry asked Hyejoo.

Hyejoo didn’t get a chance to answer when her head was yanked back. She turned and saw one of the men holding onto the end of her braid. “That’s a lot of hair,” he said, his words slurring slightly.

“She’s growing it out,” Choerry said as Hyejoo snatched her hair out of the man’s grip. “Is that blood in your moustache? Goldie, look at the blood in his moustache!”

Hyejoo was backing away out of fear, not listening to Choerry continuing to talk about the man’s facial hair. She kept walking backwards before eventually bumping into another person. She turned and saw a large man sitting on a stool, facing away from her. He turned around with a low grumble, sounding more like a growl.

Choerry inched over to her, faking empathy that even Hyejoo picked up on. “You don’t look so good blondie. Maybe we should get you home and call it a day.” She started to guide Hyejoo out of the establishment as Hyunjin did the same with Heejin. “You’ll probably be better off. This is a 5-star joint after all, and if you can’t handle this place, maybe you should be back in your tower.”

Choerry didn’t get a chance to try and open the door to leave when a hand slapped itself on the door, a piece of paper between it and the wood. Choerry and Hyejoo both turned their heads to the man standing in front of them. “Is this you?” he asked, his low voice filling Hyejoo with even more dread.

Choerry could only stare at her partially covered face on the paper. Hyejoo reached out and moved one of the man’s fingers to reveal her full face. Choerry sighed seeing the exaggerated chin. “Ugh. Now they’re just being mean.”

Another man slowly approached the duo. “Oh it’s her all right.”

“And isn’t that her friend?” another man said, holding up a wanted poster with Hyunjin and another girl’s face on it.

“Did you guys want an autograph? Why do you just have those at the ready?” Hyunjin asked, pointing at the posters.

“This is perfect,” said the man still approaching Choerry. “Chansung, go find some guards.” The said man quickly set his drink down and rushed out of the building. “This reward is going to buy me a new sword,” the man said, grabbing Choerry by the collar.

Choerry was suddenly ripped from his grasp and pulled tight into another man. “I could use the money,” he said to the room.

Another man pulled her away in the same fashion. “What about me? I’m broke!”

An all out fight broke out between the men in the bar and Choerry and Hyunjin got swept up in it. They were pulled back and forth between the hulking men who were trying to claim them as their prize.

The twins watched in horror as the chaos broke out. While Heejin was thinking this was a perfect opportunity to ditch their new guides and run away forever, Hyejoo had other ideas.

Hyejoo tried to get the room’s attention. “Ruffians, stop!” she shouted. She was bumped into a few times as she tried to get to the middle of it all.

“We can work this out!” Choerry shouted from the middle as she was pulled in between bodies. 

“Leave her alone!” Hyejoo yelled again.

“Gentlemen please!” Hyunjin begged as she was placed in a tight chokehold.

Hyejoo eventually resorted to beating a few men on the back. “Give me back my guide!”

The crowd seemed to form the same idea as several men held Choerry aloft in the air. One man reeled his arm back, prepared to deliver a harsh blow. A small group was still passing Hyunjin back and forth, and if Choerry’s bleeding nose and already darkening bruises were a sign, Hyunjin was no better off. 

Hyejoo acted fast, reaching behind the counter to grab a full bottle of alcohol. She brought it down heavily on the man’s head that was about to punch Choerry. The room froze as soon as she hit him. She heaved a little, still holding onto the broken neck of the bottle. “That’s enough!” she yelled into the silent room. “Put her down!” she enunciated after a short moment of silence. The man she hit slowly turned around, towering over her. She huffed out a breath, trying to get over her debilitating fear. “I don’t know where I am and I need her to take me to see the lanterns because I’ve been dreaming about them my entire life!” she rushed out. “Find your humanity! Haven’t any of you ever had a dream?”

The man towering over her pulled an axe out from behind his back. The men behind him shifted around. One of them sat Choerry down harshly in a chair, keeping a hand on her shoulder as another held a sword to her throat. Hyunjin was sat next to her in the exact same way. The man lifted his axe and brought it down heavily, right into the wood of the counter next to Hyejoo. “I had a dream once,” he said, surprising her in every way. He made his way over to the small stage Hyejoo hadn’t noticed when she walked in. He tossed one of the drunken men to the side, revealing a beat up piano. “I want to be a concert pianist,” he said. He sat and played for a little bit before standing and walking back over. “That was Mozart,” he said with a light dusting on his cheeks.

“That was really good,” Hyejoo told him.

Another man stepped up, eyeing Heejin as he did. “I want to meet a pretty girl and fall in love.” Heejin immediately latched onto her knife, not hesitating to point it at him. He just laughed and winked at her, but didn’t come any closer and kept his looks to himself.

As more men stepped up and revealed their dreams- a florist, an interior designer, a baker, a puppeteer- Choerry and Hyunjin could only watch in disgust.

“What about you, Choerry?” the pianist asked.

“Me?”

“What’s your dream?”

“Sorry, boys. I’m not one for sharing stories.” Immediately, about 15 swords, knives, or daggers were pointed at her throat. “On second thought, I  _ do  _ have a dream.” She weasled her way out of the grasp of her captive and to the middle of the crowd. “My dream-  _ our  _ dream-” she stressed, pulling Hyunjin with her. “-is to own an island where no one can ever bother us again. It’s just the two of us, in a castle, surrounded by enormous piles of money.” She finished with a dreamy, far off look in her eye. Hyunjin matched her lazy smile.

The men didn’t look too impressed, but Hyejoo took that opportunity to speak up. “I’ve got a dream!” she blurted.

“Well go on!” one of the men shouted, genuinely interested to hear what she was about to say,

“I just want to see the floating lanterns. The ones they light for the princesses? I’ve wanted to see them ever since I was a little girl,” she said, noticing the soft smiles on most of the men’s faces.

“Well,” the pianist said, clapping his hands. “Ain’t that just beautiful. The girl’s got a dream!”

“We’ll do our best to send you on your way, sweetheart,” another man said.

“Hey, what about you girly? What’s your dream?” one man asked, seeing Heejin standing off to the side.

Heejin looked at them, almost bored with herself. “I just want to get away from my witch of a mother. Every hour I’m not with her is an hour I’m not being beaten half to death.”

The room erupted in gentle agreements. “Oh, fuck yeah. I’ll personally escort you somewhere safe if you need to. And if you need to place a hit on her, every single one of us in here will gladly do that  _ for free _ ,” he stressed with a wave of his finger at all his companions.

Heejin giggled and shook her head at him. They shared easy smiles, but Heejin knew he, and every other man looking at her, was dead serious.

“She’s already got an escort,” Hyunjin grumbled, sizing the man up.

He held his hands up in defense. “I meant no offence. I’m not trying to make advances on your girl.”

Heejin and Hyunjin practically exploded.

“She’s not my girl!”

“I’m not her girl!”

They turned to each other and started bickering about who knows what, when the door burst open. Chansung had returned. “I found the guards!” he said.

Choerry and Hyunjin grabbed the twins and dived behind the counter immediately. They held onto the girls tightly, trying to keep them quiet.

The Royal Guard burst into the room, their Chief leading the charge. “Where’s Choerry? Where is she? I know she’s in here somewhere.”

“Gentleman please can I have your attention. We have a very special guest with us today,” the pianist drawled. “Let us be honored that Miss Jo Haseul had graced us with her presence.  _ Again _ .”

“Minjun, I don’t have time for this. I was given the report. Now where is she?” Haseul said. Despite the fact that Minjun towered more than a foot over her, neither of them backed down from the challenge. When he didn’t answer, Haseul turned to her party. “I know she’s in here. Find her! Turn the place upside down if you have to,” she said, slamming the counter with her fist.

The twins both jumped at that, but Hyunjin and Choerry were quick to console them. Hyunjin tightened her grip around Heejin’s waist, pulling her in closer. Hyejoo blindly searched for Choerry’s hand, finding it easily and holding onto it. Choerry was quick to return the gesture.

They were struggling to find a way out when Minjun appeared in their line of sight. He glanced down at them before looking back into the room. Choerry chanced a peek out and noticed that a wall of men had formed against the other side of the counter, blocking the guards from seeing anything that happened behind them. Minjun hit a panel on the floor with his boot, and suddenly, a trap door was opening right in front of the quartet. Minjun kneeled down to help them into the tunnel. “Go. Live your dream,” he said, looking Hyejoo in the eye.

Choerry slid herself down into the tunnel, and Hyunjin quickly followed. Heejin followed after her, accepting the helping hands. Hyejoo turned to the man before she left. “Thank you for everything,” she said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. He just smiled gently at her and waited until she was safely on the tunnel floor before closing the hatch behind them.

Still in the Snuggly Duckling, the guards had finished their search. “Ma’am. There’s no sign of either Choerry or Hyunjin.”

Haseul slammed a nearby chair. “Damn!” She was pondering her next step when she heard a familiar neighing outside. The door was pushed open and in trotted her white horse. “Geureum?” she asked in disbelief. The horse made his way into the interior, passing all the shocked men as he sniffed something out. He sniffed near the counter, prompting Haseul to send him back outside as the guards searched his new findings. Eventually they found the trigger for the hatch and Haseul set her jaw in determination. “After me!” she called, sliding into the tunnel with her men following close behind.

Two of the drunken men stumbled out of the Snuggly Duckling, swaying on their feet and trying to use the other to balance themselves. They were shocked as hands grabbed their collars and dragged them to the side of the building. They were thrown against the wall and came face to face with their assailant. “Where does that tunnel lead out?” the woman demanded.

“Who wants to know,” one of them slurred out.

“A concerned mother,” she said. Her irritation was growing by the second as she wasn’t getting the answers she wanted.

“Were those your girls or something?” the other asked.

“The two that rattled on about seeing the lights, yes.” She had seen the whole thing from the window. She came across the building quickly in her search and overheard the racket coming 

from inside.

“I only remember one of them talking about the lights. I remember the other one talking about wanting to get away from her “ _ witch of a mother _ ”,” the other man said.

The woman just glared at him. She pulled her dagger out and shoved it in one of their faces, while her other hand landed harshly between the legs of the other. “Where does that tunnel let out?”

  
  
  


Choerry and Hyunjin found old lanterns laying in the tunnel. In the tiny sliver of sun that seeped in from the tavern above, they managed to light the candles inside the metal framing and give them a proper light source.

“I do have to say, that was very impressive what you did back there,” Choerry told Hyejoo.

“I know,” Hyejoo said, taking the compliment well.

Choerry shot her an amused smile before shaking her head and turning forward.

They walked for a few more feet, Hyejoo almost level with Choerry as Heejin and then Hyunjin walked behind them. “So, Choerry. Where are you from?” She was met with immediate protests from both of her new companions.

“Woah! Nope!”

“Uh uh, we’re not the “back story” kind of people,” Hyunjin said.

“However,” Choerry continued. “I am becoming very interested in yours. Now I know I’m not supposed to mention the hair-”

“Nope,” Hyejoo said.

“- or the Mother-”

“Uh uh,” Heejin said. She wrapped her arms around herself subconsciously. Hyunjin glanced at her when she heard her speak, noticing how uncomfortable she looked. She assumed Heejin was scared of the dark and let it go.

“Frankly I’m too scared to ask why neither of you seem to own shoes.”

“You mean slippers?” Hyejoo asked.

Cheorry turned around, looking very confused. “No I mean- nuance,” she said, waving the topic off. “Here’s my thing, though. If you wanted to see the lanterns so badly, why haven’t you gone before?” she asked with a surprising amount of gentleness behind her word.

Hyejoo spared a glance back at her sister. She chuckled awkwardly. “Well,” she started. Her words stopped as a rock fell right in front of her face. They all paused, feeling the ground shaking. Hyejoo noticed lights appearing behind them, coming around the corner of the tunnel. “Uh, Choerry?” she called, panic rising within her. A few seconds later, the Royal Guard appeared, brandishing torches and running full speed at them. “Choerry!”

“Run,” Choerry said, reaching for Hyejoo. “Run!” she said a second later when none of them moved. Hyunjin grabbed a still shocked Heejin and the four of them took off down the tunnel. They ran as fast as they could, trying to distance themselves from the knights chasing after them. After a minute of running they came out of the tunnel, finding themselves on a small cliff no wider than 10 feet across. The tunnel opened in a canyon, which was cleared in order to construct a dam.

“Shit!” Hyunjin called out, trying to find them a way out.

“Down there!” Heejin called, pointing to a tunnel on the ground below. The only way down was by the rickety ladder on the side of the cliff, something none of them wanted to touch.

A split second later, two figures emerged from a second tunnel, bursting through the boards that had been placed over it. They glared up at the quartet and started to make their way towards them. “Who’s that?” Heejin asked, her hand still tightly grasped in Hyunjin’s.

“I don’t know, but they don’t seem to like us,” Choerry said.

The guards burst through onto the cliff a second later, panting as they regrouped themselves. “Who’s that?” Hyejoo asked.

“They don’t like us either,” Choerry said, stepping between the guards and Hyejoo. Hyunjin pulled Heejin behind her back as well.

A loud neigh caught their attention and they all looked up. High above the tunnel on the top of the cliff stood the guards’ horse.

“Who’s that?” Heejin asked, very confused.

“Let’s just assume that everyone here doesn’t like us!” Choerry yelled. She inched back, trying to place as much distance between them and the slowly approaching guards.

“You don’t have anywhere to go, Choerry. Time to give up,” Haseul said. For being such a short woman, she exuded confidence.

“Like hell it is,” Heejin mumbled to herself. She pulled the length of rope out of her bag and glanced around. In a mining cart a few feet away, she noticed two broken pickaxes that would work perfectly for what she needed. She slowly pulled her hand out from Hyunjin’s, and the movement caught her attention. Within seconds she glanced down and then over where Heejin was looking. She caught on quickly and prepared herself for what was next.

Hyejoo saw Heejin moving and immediately she knew what she was trying to do. She reached into her own bag, but didn’t pull out the rope. She tugged on Choerry’s sleeve, pulling her arm closer to her. Luckily, the other girl was pliant enough to work with her. She slipped her knife into her hand. Choerry glanced back at her and both of them paused for a second at how close their faces were.

“I’ve waited a long time for this.” Haseul got everyone’s attention again. She and the other three guards all advanced on them, drawing their swords.

“Now!” Heejin yelled.

Choerry and Hyunjin rushed the guards, defending the girls as best as they could. While the guards were distracted, Heejin and Hyejoo ran towards the cart, tying their ropes around the pickaxes quickly. As they finished, they ran back to the edge of the cliff and swung the now weighted ropes up to a crossbeam, pulling tightly to secure them.

“Choerry!” Hyejoo yelled.

“I’m a little busy!” she responded. She was holding her own against two of the guards. The twins watched as she managed to knock one of them back into the rocks, sending him down for now.

Hyunjin had already knocked one of them out, but was struggling against the last one. The twins watched in horror as the guard managed to strike her across the face and raise his sword to run her through.

“No!” Heejin yelled, pulling her own knife out. In one quick movement, she rushed over and sliced blindly. The guard yelled and dropped his sword, clutching his arm and stumbling into the rock. Hyunjin kicked him in the face, sending him down heavily with a now broken nose. Heejin stood frozen, holding her bloody knife with a horrified expression.

“Heejin,” Hyunjin said, grabbing her shoulders. “We have to go.” Heejin let herself be guided away. Hyunjin took her knife and wiped it on her pants before storing it in her waistband.

“You guys go! We’ll follow you!” Choerry said, right before kicking the guard captain down.

Hyunjin held Heejin tightly. “Hold onto me!” She yelled before grabbing the rope with one hand and jumping off the cliff. They swung down, then back up, landing on a higher platform.

“That works too!” Choerry called. She ignored the lower tunnel, instead trying to follow the other pair. “Hold on blondie!” she yelled before jumping off after them. Hyejoo hid her face in Choerry’s neck as they swung. Right as they started to swing back up, the beam they were tied to broke. “Hold on!” Choerry called, catching them on a wooden platform. They landed hard, heaving as the wind was knocked out of them both. “You ok?” Choerry asked.

Hyejoo nodded. “Yeah.”

“Hyejoo!” she heard Heejin calling from above.

Choerry glanced back over to the cliff, seeing the guards getting up and moving. “Go! We’ll catch up!”

Hyunjin had to drag Heejin away, but the pair disappeared from sight a second later.

“There’s no way up. We need to get down and then find out way back up later,” Choerry said. She hoisted Hyejoo up and carefully started to climb down the wooden structure. Right as they got about halfway down, they noticed a loud cracking sound. “Oh no,” Choerry mumbled.

“What,” Hyejoo asked. She didn’t like how panicked Choerry sounded.

“The dam’s about to give!” Choerry yelled.

Hyejoo could see a large crack forming in the wood, and a second later a few pieces went flying off from the pressure.

“We’ve got to go!” Choerry yelled. They scrambled down the structure as fast as they could and started sprinting to the tunnel.

They barely got anywhere and a sword came flying out of nowhere at Choerry’s head. Luckily her reflexes were fast enough to duck below it. In a moment of genius, she stooped to pick up a broken wooden beam and chucked it at her assailants, nailing them both in the face. They dropped to the ground heavily and didn’t move to get back up. The duo kept running as the dam finally burst, sending a tidal wave of water right for them. They picked up the pace, hoping to outrun the water. They split around a rock structure in the canyon, regrouping around the other side as the water hit the stone. The rock broke from the impact and sent the top falling right in their direction. The cleared the tunnel entrance just as the rock fell flush to the cliff, sealing them in.

High up on the cliffs above, Hyunjin and Heejin watched the whole thing. “Hyejoo!” Heejin screamed. Hyunjin had to hold onto her tightly so she didn’t make her way back down to her sister.

“Heejin, we have to go! They’ll find a way out! But if we don’t leave, the guards are going to come after us!” Hyunjin yelled. Heejin was a sobbing mess, unable to leave her sister behind. She struggled for a moment before giving up. She fell limp in Hyunjin’s arms and let herself be dragged away. 

Hyunjin pulled Heejin behind her as she ran along the cliffside. She guided them towards the direction of the tunnel and then into the trees that covered the top of that cliff. The land they ran on started a slow descent. They moved quickly, with Hyunjin glancing behind them every so often to make sure they weren’t being followed. After a few minutes she stopped, as they came upon a small river. Heejin was still crying hard and Hyunjin wanted to give her a break. “They’re going to be ok,” Hyunjin said, trying to be reassuring. The thing was, is she barely believed herself.

Heejin sucked in a deep breath as her hands came up to her face. “We have to help them. She needs my help. I- she needs my help. I have to-” she could barely talk through her words. Her breathing started to get more shallow. “That’s my baby sister, I have to help her.”

“Heejin,” Hyunjin started, grabbing her shoulders to get her attention.

“No, we can’t stop- I need to help her!”

“Heejin!”

Heejin wasn’t speaking coherently anymore as her sobs worsened. A second later, her legs gave out as she tried to push against Hyunjin’s hold. Hyunjin caught her before she hit the ground and lowered them so they were sitting. She had Heejin’s back pressed to her front as her legs bracketed the shorter girl. She wrapped her arms around her waist and spoke softly in her ear. “It’s ok. She’s going to be ok. You need to breathe, honey,” she tried. She couldn’t tell if Heejin was understanding her, so she just kept trying. “Breathe, Heejin. Breathe with me. It’s going to be ok.” Heejin shocked her by grabbing both of her hands in her own, entwining their fingers tightly. She sucked in one shaky breath and let it out. “That’s it. Breathe with me.” It took a few minutes, but the two of them were breathing in sync and Heejin had calmed down significantly. “Better?” Hyunjin whispered into the back of her neck.

Heejin sniffled and let go of one of her hands to wipe her eyes. “Yeah,” she said quietly.

Hyunjin looked up, seeing the late evening glow. “The sun’s about to go down. We should get some wood and make a fire.”

Heejin nodded and slowly stood up, Hyunjin following quickly. They worked together to gather pieces to start the fire. Hyunjin fiddled with it and after a few minutes, they had a roaring flame keeping them warm as the sky continued to darken.

_ Meanwhile _

Water leaked in from the side, filling the small area. They could barely see in the cave, but could see enough. When the water reached their ankles, they turned and hurried onward, finding themselves at a dead end. The cave angled upwards as they went.

Hyejoo desperately felt along the wall, trying to find rocks she could dislodge to let them through. Choerry took her bag off and passed it to Hyejoo before diving into the water. She emerged a few seconds later before checking the other side of the cave. She burst from the water and stood on the rock with Hyejoo. Without warning, she rammed her body into the rocks, trying to force something loose. She hit them with her hands, but cut herself on the edge of one of the wet rocks. She slammed the stone with her palm and dived back down, desperate to find a way out. She burst back up, gasping for air. The water was up to their waists now as they stood in the highest portion of the cave. “It’s no use. I can’t see anything.” She wiped her hair back out of her eyes and heaved a few times. Hyejoo stared at her for a second before diving down herself, unable to just give up. Choerry dived down after her, pulling her back to the surface. “Hey, it’s pitch black down there. It’s no use,” she said, holding Hyejoo close. The water was freezing cold, and Choerry could feel herself starting to shake. She gently moved some of Hyejoo’s hair out of her face despite her shaking. Hyejoo’s eyes closed as she leaned into the touch.

As if they both realized the position they were in, they slowly pulled apart, resting their backs against the rock wall as the water slowly rose around them. “This is all my fault,” Hyejoo whispered. “She’s right, I never should have done this. I spent my whole life locked up in a tower and now I’m about to die in a cave.” She sniffled, trying to contain her tears. “I’m so sorry, Choerry.”

Choerry took a deep breath. “Yerim,” she said, wincing slightly.

Hyejoo furrowed her brow. “What?”

“My real name is Choi Yerim. Someone might as well know,” she said, sounding sad.

“Hyunjin doesn’t know?” Hyejoo asked quietly.

Choerry shook her head. “No one does.” She looked down, seeing the water was up to their shoulders.

Hyejoo chuckled softly, playing the name over in her head. “I have magic hair that glows when I sing,” she said, wiping her nose.

“What?”

Hyejoo’s face fell in realization. “I have magic hair that glows when I sing!” She looked down at the water.  _ “Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine-”  _ was all she could get out before they both sucked in a deep breath as the water reached the top of the cave.

True to her word, Hyejoo’s hair filled with light, illuminating the water around them. Choerry yelled in shock seeing the golden hair but the sound was muffled by the water. Once they could see, they noticed the end of Hyejoo’s hair being pulled towards a small hole in the rocks. Choerry, being able to swim, launched herself off the rock wall and started pulling at the small stones. Hyejoo pulled herself along the stones and caught up a few seconds later. They could feel themselves running out of air, but they worked quickly to create a gap, large enough for them to fit through. The water pushed them out of the cave and spilled them into a river a few feet below.

Choerry burst through the surface, gasping air into her burning lungs for a brief second before diving back down and pulling Hyejoo up. Hyejoo clung tightly to her as she coughed water up. “I’ve got you,” Choerry said softly. “You’re ok. We’re ok.” Hyejoo took a couple of deep breaths before slowly dissolving into laughter. Choerry chuckled with her at their situation, leaning her head on Hyejoo’s. “You want to get out of the water?” Choerry asked, her lips brushing the side of Hyejoo’s head.

“Yeah,” Hyejoo said through her chuckles.

“Alright,” Choerry said before slowly guiding them over to the riverbank. She pulled herself up before reaching down and helping Hyejoo out. They laid down on the grass for a moment to really catch their breath.

Hyejoo turned her head to look at Choerry, who turned to look at her when she noticed her move. “Does this mean I can call you Yerim now?” Hyejoo asked cheekily.

The thief laughed loudly, turning her head back to the sky. She answered as she sat up. “Yeah. You can call me Yerim.” They shared soft smiles before standing up slowly. “Let’s go find the other two,” she said.

They only had to walk along the water for a few minutes before seeing the glow of a campfire. As they got closer, they recognized the familiar figures sitting there. “Hey!” Yerim called out to them.

“Hyejoo!” Heejin yelled when she noticed who was calling. She sprinted over, almost tackling Hyejoo with the force of her hug. Their reunion was tearful and long.

Yerim walked towards the fire, needing to warm up before she literally froze in her soaking clothes. She stepped up, seeing Hyunjin just staring at her. “Hey,” she greeted.

Hyunjin shot up from where she was sitting on the log and wrapped her arms around her friend. “Don’t ever do something like that again. If you die, I’m going to kill you.”

Yerim wrapped her arms tightly around her. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.” They hugged for a long moment before letting go. Yerim sat down close to the fire, taking her jacket off and draping it on the log so it could air out as well.

The twins joined them a second later, hearing the tail end of Yerim explaining what happened to Hyunjin. “- and her hair glows when she sings! That’s how we found a way out!” Heejin sat on the log next to Hyunjin while Hyejoo joined Yerim close to the fire. She was clutching her injured hand close to her chest as she tried to stop herself from shaking. The fire was helping, but her clothes were still soaked and clinging to her skin.

“What? Her hair glows?” Hyunjin ased.

“It doesn’t  _ just _ glow,” Hyejoo said. She gently pulled Yerim’s hand towards her. She motioned for her to keep it there as she pulled her hair out of her braid. She squeezed the bottom of it, trying to wring out as much water as possible. “Promise me you won’t freak out,” Hyejoo said, grabbing Yerim’s hand again.

“Why would I-” she trailed off as Hyejoo started to wrap her hair around her hand.

When Hyejoo finished she glanced up at Yerim before closing her eyes and starting to sing.  _ “Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine.”  _ Her hair started to glow a bright gold, starting at the roots and slowly moving along the length of her hair.  _ “Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine.”  _

Yerim and Hyunjin watched in stunned silence as the magic happened around them. Heejin laughed to herself at the girl’s reactions.

_ “Heal what has been hurt, change the Fates’ design.”  _ By now the glow has filled Hyejoo’s entire hair. Yerim could feel something happening to her hand as the hair around it glowed.  _ “Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine. What once was mine.”  _

Hyejoo finished and opened her eyes. The glow slowly faded and Yerim unwrapped her hand, seeing her injury had been healed. There was no mark that she had cut herself. She could feel a scream bubbling in her chest. Just as she was about to release it, Hyejoo stopped her.

“Please don’t scream!”

Yerim caught herself with a strangled gasp. “I’m not screaming. I’m fine, this is fine. I’m not freaking out. Are you freaking out?” she directed at Hyunjin. “No everything’s fine. I’m just suddenly very interested in your hair and the magical qualities it possesses. Has it always been able to do that?” she finished in a rush.

Hyejoo laughed and smiled brightly at the girl’s nervousness. “Yeah, pretty much. Ever since I was a baby, I guess.”

Hyunjin eyed Heejin warily “Does your hair do that too?”

“No, you idiot.”

“It’s a valid question! You’re twins!” Hyunjin said, getting defensive.

“Her hair is blonde! It’s 8 feet long! Do I look like my hair is 8 feet long?” Heejin asked.

They launched into an argument that Yerim and Hyejoo easily tuned out. Hyejoo watched them for a few seconds, amused at their dynamic, before turning and meeting Yerim’s astonished look. She blushed a little from the way she was looking at her. “Mother said when I was a baby, people tried to cut it,” she said, getting Yerim’s full attention. She pulled her hair on the right side back, showing a short strand of black hair. “They wanted to take it for themselves. But once it’s cut, it turns black and loses its power. A gift like this has to be protected. That’s why Mother never let us-” she trailed off. She met Heejin’s eye and deflated at the sad look in her sister's eyes. “That’s why we never left and-”

Yerim filled in the pieces on her own. “You never left that tower.” Hyejoo nodded.

“And you still want to go back?” Hyunjin asked, looking at Heejin curled in on herself barely a foot away.

“No!” Hyejoo said before sighing. “Yes?” She was frustrated with her situation. “It’s complicated.” Everyone nodded and understood she didn’t want to explain it right now. She sighed once more and sat back up, meeting Yerim’s gentle look. She nudged her with her elbow. “So,  _ Choi Yerim _ ?”

Yerim winced and glanced over at Hyunjin. She looked confused but wasn’t saying anything. “Yeah, well! I’ll spare you the sob story of poor orphan Choi Yerim. It’s a bit of a downer.”

“Who?” Hyunjin asked.

Yerim took a deep breath, struggling to even give her one worded response. “Me.” The other three girls were all giving her expectant looks so she sighed and kept going. “There was this cherry tree I used to climb when I was younger. It sat right outside of my house. I hate cherries, I don’t like eating them, but I loved climbing that tree.” She smiled to herself, remembering her childhood. “My mom always used to call me her “little cherry”. She said I blended in with my red cheeks. Looked just like the fruit growing around me.” Her face fell and she picked at one of her hands. “She died just before my 8th birthday. My dad got too drunk one night and pushed her and she hit her head. Never got back up. He died the next day. Got too drunk again and fell into the river. Just like that I was on my own. I snuck into the Kingdom and lived on the streets. There was this girl who would leave bread and treats and fruit in an alley by the castle. I’ve never met her though.” Her face turned darker. “And I never want to. I don’t want anything to do with the Royal Family. Them, their staff, their  _ guards _ . The Queens are supposed to offer an orphanage- any kid is supposed to be able to walk through their front doors and ask for help. But that’s not true.  _ I  _ asked for help. And all I got was a beating and then I was tossed out back onto the streets.” She shifted in her spot, feeling embarrassed to have admitted that. “I met Hyunjin when I was 13. Yeojin and Chaewon came along later. If we ever get the time, maybe you two can meet them,” she said to the twins. “I started using Choerry as a name because all my life I’ve never been good enough as Yerim. My mom died as Yerim, I was homeless as Yerim, the Kingdom let me down as Yerim. But as Choerry, I can do so much more; I can  _ be _ so much more.”

The girls were stunned into silence at her confession. The only sound they heard was the crackling of the fire wood.

“You guys can’t tell anyone about this. I have a reputation,” Choerry said quietly.

“Of course. We wouldn’t want anything happening to your squeaky clean record,” Hyejoo teased. 

Yerim smiled at her, hoping she couldn’t see the light dusting on her cheeks in the light of the fire.

“So can I call you Yerim now?” Hyunjin asked.

“No.” The twins laughed at the thief’s abrupt response.

The camp settled into an easy silence as they watched the fire for a moment. “We need to go get more wood,” Hyunjin said.

Yerim stood to join her. “Will you two be ok for now? We won’t be gone long.”

“We’re good,” Hyejoo said. Yerim smiled down at her before turning to meet Hyunjin. “And by the way,” Hyejoo called out to her. “I like Yerim a lot better than Choerry.”

“Then you would be the first. But thank you,” she said sincerely. The duo disappeared into the dark trees, the both of them looking intently at Yerim’s hand as they walked.

The twins watched them go until they couldn’t see them anymore. Heejin turned back to face Hyejoo and jumped in shock. “Hye,” she said.

Hyeoo didn’t get a chance to turn and see what she was looking at when a chilling voice rang through the trees. “Well! I thought they’d never leave.”

The twins jumped up and Hyejoo hurried to Heejin’s side, grabbing her hand tightly. “Mother?” she asked.

“Hello, darling.” Mother was quickly walking closer to them.

“Wha- I don’t- how did you find us?” Hyejoo asked as she was wrapped a little too tightly in her arms.

“Oh it was easy really. I just listened to the sound of complete and utter betrayal and followed that.”

Hyejoo deflated a little. “Mother,” she said, a little annoyed.

Mother pulled back and looked Hyejoo in the eyes. “We’re going home. Now.” She left no room for argument, yet Hyejoo still tried.

“You don’t understand,” Hyejoo said, pulling against Mother’s tugging. “We’ve been out and we’ve met new people and we’ve both learned so much.” She spared a glance at Heejin, seeing how panicked she was. “I even met someone,” she added, smiling just at the thought.

“Yes, the wanted thief. I’m so proud. Now let’s go.”

Hyejoo ripped her arm free. “Mother, wait! I think- I think she likes me.”

“Likes you? Please, Hyejoo, that’s ridiculous!”

“But, Mother I-”

“This is why you never should have left! You think that just because she’s been nice to you that she  _ likes  _ you? Why would she do that? Look at you,” she said, gesturing to Hyejoo. “You think she’s impressed? Don’t be stupid. Come home with me, darling,” Mother said, continuing to walk.

“No!” Hyejoo called.

Mother’s eyes grew dark. “Oh? I see how it is. Well if you really have that much faith in her, then give them these,” she said, holding up the bands in her hands.

“How did you-” Hyejoo started, eyes growing wide.

“These are really what they want. She doesn’t want you, she wants the riches that will come with these. Since you seem to think you’re so grown up and mature now, don’t come crying to me when you realize I’m right.” Mother turned and with a flourish of her cape, disappeared.

  
Hyejoo held tightly to the bands, slowly turning around to face her sister. Heejin was shaking, and Hyejoo could tell it wasn’t from the cold. “Did you notice how she didn’t say a single word to me?” she said quietly. “She only wanted you to come home. She didn’t care about me.”

Hyejoo shoved the bands in her satchel and walked over to Heejin. She wrapped her arms around her, feeling just how bad she was shaking. “We are never going back. I promise you that.”

They stood like that for a while before they heard Yerim calling how to them.

“Hey blondie! Can I ask you something?” Both Yerim and Hyunjin walked back into the glow of the fire with their arms piled with fire wood. “Am I going to get, like, super strength in my hand? Because, I mean, I was born with superhuman good looks. But super  _ strength _ ? Now that would be amazing-” she trailed off seeing the looks on the twins faces. “Hey, are you guys ok?”

Hyejoo was fast to respond. “Yeah. It’s just, y’know. First time in the woods all alone. We heard a noise and got a little freaked out.”

Yerim and Hyunjin quickly set their wood down. “Did you see anything? Are you hurt? Do we need to go check it out?” She reached a hand out and set it on Hyejoo’s shoulder, looking into the nearby trees.

“No! It’s fine. It was just another rabbit. We watched it go off that way,” Hyejoo said, pointing in a random direction.

“You sure?” Hyunjin asked, eyeing Heejin warily.

Heejin nodded and wrapped her arms around herself. “I think we’re also just really tired. We’ve had a long day and it’s late.”

“Yeah,” Hyunjin said, still worried but trying not to show it. “We should all get some sleep.”

Hyejoo sat down on a fallen log and looked up at the sky, staring at the moon. She let the calming sight of the moon and stars calm her down, needing this small moment of peace after the abrupt meeting with her mother.

“Hyejoo!” She snapped out of her thoughts as she heard Heejin call for her. She glanced around, seeing that Yerim and Hyunjin had set the wood into the fire already and they were all settling down. “Stop daydreaming and go to bed.”

Hyejoo stood and walked over to lay and settle next to her sister. “Technically it’s night time so I’m not daydreaming.”

“You got a thing for the moon?” Yerim asked her.

Hyejoo was still looking up at the sky. “Yeah. It’s pretty.”

“She could spend hours staring at it. She’d be up all night if she could,” Heejin sleepily mumbled.

“Oh, like you aren’t obsessed with the sun,” Hyejoo shot back.

“You two are so weird,” Hyunjin said.

“Says the girl who wouldn’t light the fire until she made a perfect stone circle,” Heejin retorted.

“Please don’t start arguing,” Yeirm begged.

Heejin and Hyunjin shot each other quick glares before they settled in. They were all asleep within minutes.

The early sun woke the twins peacefully. Yerim’s shouts for help, did not.

“Let me go!”

The twins shot up, taking in the comical sight of Yerim being dragged by a horse. Her foot was clamped tightly in it’s mouth and she scratched at the ground, trying to find something to hold onto. Hyunjin stood a few feet away, not quite sure what to do to help.

Hyejoo scrambled up and grabbed onto Yerim’s hand, pulling her hard. A few seconds later, her foot dislodged itself from her boot and she ran behind Hyunjin for safety.

Hyejoo, now a little more awake and alert, recognized the palace horse. “Hey! Calm down!” she said, her arms in front of her trying to sooth the animal. “It’s ok, just calm down.” She and the horse did a little dance as it tried to go around her, and she got in front of it. It took a little bit, but she got the horse to calm down and listen to her. “Can you drop the boot for me” The horse opened his mouth and the boot fell down to the ground. Hyejoo bent and picked it up, tossing it over to Yerim. “Good boy,” she said, petting between his eyes.

“ _ Good boy _ ?” Yerim asked incredulously. “He’s a bad horse!”

“No he’s not! He’s such a sweetheart. Isn’t that right-” she trailed off, looking for any kind of tag. She spotted his name on the harness across his chest, written proudly beneath the symbol of the Kingdom. “-Geureum?”

“I can’t believe this,” Yerim said.

“Now, Guereum,” Hyejoo said as if the horse would understand her words. “I know you were given a mission to track these two down, but me and my sister need today. We need to get into the kingdom and see the lights tonight. I need you to behave for the next 24 hours, and then you can chase these two to your heart’s content. Ok?” she asked, looking right at him. Geureum shifted, and then huffed. That was good enough for right now.

Hyejoo had the right mind to tie Geurem’s reins to a nearby tree, away from Yerim so he wouldn’t try anything else. She walked back over to the campsite to collect her bag and saw Heejin standing there with a wide smile. She stood and returned the smile and launched herself at her sister. “Happy birthday!” screamed in her ear. Heejin flinched at the loud noise but laughed and returned the saying.

Yerim perked up where she was sitting and putting her boot back on. “Oh yeah! Happy birthday! How old are you guys turning?”

“18,” Hyejoo said. “How old are you two?”

“I’m 18 too. Hyun’s 19,” Yerim said.

“Really? You both seem like you’d be older,” Heejin said.

“That’s what the real world will do to you,” Hyunjin said, shouldering her bag. “Are you guys ready to go?”

They all nodded, and after untying Geureum, they were off towards the Kingdom. It wasn’t very far from where they had been camping; it only took them an hour to get there. The twins' eyes were full of wonder as they took in the magnificent sight of the Kingdom up close. The palace sat up high, at the top of the hill, while the rest of the Kingdom spilled down and around it. There were people everywhere, even on the long bridge they needed to cross to enter. Heejin and Hyejoo took the lead, while Yerim and Hyunjin lingered back.

Something caught Yerim’s eye and she quickly ripped one of the wanted posters off and threw it over the bridge and into the water below.

After crossing the bridge, the twins were almost overwhelmed at how busy everything was. Decorations for the festival filled every space they could find- banners hung across the buildings, flags were flying, and vendors were selling anything and everything they could think of. Children ran past them, yelling and playing in the streets. The Kingdom was joyful and the day had barely begun.

Hyejoo’s joy was short-lived as she tried stepping further into the street. In all of the chaos and how close everyone was, her hair kept getting stepped on. She normally had it in a braid, but forgot to take the time to fix that after taking it out last night. She gathered it up in her arms, surprised to find Yerim helping her out. The shorter girl glanced around for a bit before finding what she was looking for. She whistled to get the attention of a few young girls, all of their hair done in intricate braids. Their eyes widened seeing all of Hyejoo’s hair and they were excited to get to work.

A few minutes later, Hyejoo’s hair was complete. It sat in a tight braid that barely brushed her waist. The young girls had put purple flowers in it, saying that they were native to the Kingdom and they had picked them fresh that morning. Hyejoo looked at the others- Heejin was distracted, looking in the window of a nearby shop. Hyunjin was offering each of the young girls a large coin, telling them to go get some food or a treat for themselves. But Yerim was looking right at her, her eyes hazy as she took in Hyejoo’s new look.

“Does it look bad?” Hyejoo asked, her hand reflexively coming up to her hair. She could feel her cheeks burning.

“No! No, it looks really good. You look really good,” Yerim said, flustered at getting caught staring.

“Alright, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving. We haven’t had a chance to eat in like a day,” Hyunjin said, interrupting their little moment.

“Yeah food sounds great right now,” Yerim agreed.

They found a little pub on a side street and ducked into the building just in time to avoid the guards coming around the corner. They hid Geureum in an alley with the promise of apples and the quartet went inside to enjoy their breakfast. They took their time eating, not too rushed to get on with their day. They were really only there for the lantern lighting that night. After breakfast, they left the pub, fed Geureum, and wandered around town.

Most of the guards were back at the palace, helping to set up for the festivities that night. It wasn’t hard for them to avoid being spotted in town.

The twins dragged Yerim and Hyunjin to every stall they saw, wanting to see every possible part of the celebration. They didn’t end up buying anything as they walked. As much as Yerim and Hyunjin hated admitting it, they had a really good time with the twins. They just talked and joked and made their way through the main streets.

It took them a few hours to reach the main part of the Kingdom. The square was beautifully decorated with the symbol of the Kingdom, and the vendors' stalls there were larger and held more intricate items and delicacies.

As the four of them were standing in line in front of a stall selling food, Hyejoo and Heejin were drawn to the mural that was displayed along one of the walls. The colored stones fit perfectly together to show the Queens of Corona. In each of their arms sat an infant- one with brown hair and one with dark blonde. “It’s for the lost princesses.” The twins' attention turned to a small child kneeling in front of the portrait. Flowers and small gifts lay on the ground beneath the picture. Heejin and Hyejoo both looked up, each of their eyes drawn to the babies displayed in the stones.

Suddenly, music started playing off to the side and the square quickly filled with people dancing. Hyejoo smiled at the sight and immediately went off to join in. Heejin walked back over to the other duo, accepting the warm bread that Hyunjin offered her.

“You never offer me bread,” Yerim said, faking offense.

“Shut up,” Hyunjin said, her mouth full.

Soon, the whole square was filled with dancing people. Children, adults, and any other ages were circling each other, linking arms, and clapping to the rhythm of what seemed to be a traditional dance of the Kingdom. Hyejoo caught on quickly as an older gentleman taught her the steps. As she got closer to the others in the middle of the dance, she waved them in, hoping some of them would join her. Heejin didn’t hesitate to take her hand and move with the crowd. The other two declined, content to just watch them go. That was short lived as two younger boys pulled them in and they got sucked into the dance as well.

It went on for a while after that. They weaved in between people and danced in circles, they traded partners and met more people than they’d be able to remember. What Yerim and Hyejoo didn’t know was that every time they thought they’d be able to grab the other’s hand and pull her in for a dance, they felt the same disappointing feeling in their chest when they were pulled away at the last second. The dance eventually ended and the band was applauded. The people in the square went off in every direction, emptying out almost as fast as it was filled.

“Hey,” Hyunjin called out to Yerim. “Here, go give this to your girl. You can say you bought it earlier or whatever.”

Yerim looked at the little purple piece of fabric in her hand. She knew that Hyejoo was going to love the little gift, if the way she was eyeing every flag she saw that day was an indication. “What, she’s not my-” Hyunjin was already walking off, not hearing any of Yerim’s protests.

She still walked over to Hyejoo, waiting for her to finish talking to some children before she got her attention. “Hey, I got you something,” she said.

Hyejoo looked her up and down curiously “What?” she asked, unable to hide her smile.

“Close your eyes,” Yerim said. Hyejoo listened immediately. Yerim silently walked around behind her and pulled the flag out, holding it in front of Hyejoo’s head with both hands. “Ok, open,” she whispered.

Hyejoo jumped, not prepared to hear Yerim behind her all of a sudden. She opened her eyes, gasping quietly at what she saw. She gently took the flag from Yerim and held it in front of her.

“I know it’s not much, but I thought you would want to have one small thing to take home and remember today by,” Yerim said, now resting her hands on Hyejoo’s waist.

Hyejoo turned in her arms and hugged her tightly. “Thank you,” she said, sincerity dripping from her words.

“You’re welcome,” Yerim responded. They pulled apart slowly with matching blushes. She glanced across the square seeing Hyunjin gift Heejin her own little flag. She didn’t hug the girl, but even from the distance Yerim could see the gratefulness in her eyes. Knowing her history with her mother, she wondered how often she was ever given any gifts.

They wandered the square some more, peeking into some of the open shops as they went. Hyejoo dragged Yerim into a bookstore and just stood there for a few seconds with her jaw to the floor. “I’ve never seen so many books in one place before.” She took her time perusing the shelves, pausing for the longest time to glance at a book about the history of Corona. She ultimately ended up putting it back because she didn’t have the money to buy it. She exited the shop, not realizing Yerim was lingering to quickly purchase the book with the little amount of gold she did have. She thanked the shop owner and quickly left to rejoin Hyejoo.

“Hey,” she said, getting her attention. Hyejoo turned and looked at her, then to the book she was offering. “Happy birthday.”

Hyejoo gasped and took the book, smiling brightly. “You didn’t have to do that!” she exclaimed.

“I know. I wanted to,” Yerim said, matching her smile. Hyejoo put the book in her satchel, thanking Yerim as she did. “Now, I know it won’t be the same as a cake,” Yerim started. “But there’s a bakery a few doors down that has cupcakes.” She held her hand out, smiling even brighter as Hyejoo grasped it in her own.

A few minutes later, they each had a cupcake in hand. Just as they finished up their treats, Yerim noticed a pair of guards coming their way, and ducked into an alley, pulling Hyejoo along with her. Luckily for them, there was a stone archway they could slip into to stay out of sight even if the guards took a peek their way. The archway, however, wasn’t made for two people to stand in at one time.

They were flush up against each other, their faces burning as they tried to avoid the other’s eye. They waited for a minute before Hyejoo spoke. “Do you think they’re gone?”

“Uh, yeah,” Yerim said slowly. They laughed to themselves as they walked back onto the main street, their faces still red.

While they were off perusing the area together, Heejin was stuck with Hyunjin.

“Why are you making me pay for two of the same color?” Hyunjin asked, holding up two jars of paint.

Heejin groaned. “They’re not the same color. This one’s lighter.”

Hyunjin looked closer at the jars. “No. They’re the exact same color.”

“Oh my gods,” Heejin grumbled. “I’m the painter, now shut up.”

“Do you want me to pay for this or not?” Hyunjin asked, setting the jars back on the counter.

“Just stop being an idiot and let me finish,” Heejin said, selecting a few other colors.

Hyunjin peeked over her shoulder as she lined up her choices on the counter. “Don’t you need a brush for this? Don’t painters use brushes?”

Heejin shoved her away. “Not for what I’m doing.”

She gathered her paint and left the shop, leaving Hyunjin to pay the total. She walked back into the almost empty square and eyed the ground, smiling to herself as she imagined her vision. She set to work immediately, taking her bag off and giving it to Hyunjin to hold. She knelt on the ground and dipped her hands in the paint, before swiping it across the ground. She worked quickly, glancing up every few minutes at something before looking back down and getting to work. At first Hyunjin thought she was just painting a big, yellow circle. But then Heejin started to add the details. A beautiful sun seemed to shine off the pavement as Heejin painted the symbol of the kingdom. It was amazing how quickly she worked, for Hyunjin assumed she saw the symbol for the first time that day. It wasn’t over complicated, but the attention Heejin was able to give it in only a matter of minutes stunned her.

Yerim and Hyejoo walked over to join them just as Heejin stood, admiring her final product. Different shades of purple surrounded the yellow sun, in the shape of flowers, stems, and even couples dancing. Hyunjin wouldn’t admit out loud that now she saw the difference between the colors.

Heejin walked back over with her now empty jars of paint, setting them in a return bin outside the shop to be cleaned and reused. She kept one of them, as it still had a decent amount of paint still in it. Her hands and arms were covered in paint and she playfully reached for Hyunjin. The taller girl ducked out of the way, but couldn’t completely escape the attack as Heejin managed to swipe at her cheek.

Music filled the square again as the sun had started to go down. Heejin cleaned herself up at the nearby well and joined in the crowd. Yerim was eager to join the dance this time, needing no prompting from anyone else. The crowd shifted and moved as one, filling the square with laughter and joy.

Yerim and Hyejoo again kept reaching for each other in the dance, only to be pulled apart and into someone else's arms. Hyunjin protested as Heejin tried to get her to join, but the hand grasping at her collar was hard to fight against. The pairs just couldn’t seem to find each other as they moved around, always just inches from joining before going their separate ways. As the music built into one last flourish, the pieces finally aligned. Hyejoo and Yerim connected, as did Heejin and Hyunjin, and the crowd burst into applause for the final dance of the evening. The couples were reluctant to pull away, content to stand there holding each other and gazing into the other’s eyes.

“To the boats!” a booming malle voice called, shocking the pairs out of their trances.

“Well, I guess it’s time,” Yerim said. “You ready to live your dream?” she asked Hyejoo. Hyejoo nodded and took Yerim’s outstretched hand.

She let herself be guided down to the docks, seeing that Hyunjin and Heejin were also clasped in a similar embrace. She got lost in her thoughts, thinking about how she and her sister got where they are, and the crazy day and a half they’ve had with their new found friends.

Yerim and Hyunjin led them along the docks, towards two identical boats sitting side by side. “After you,” Yerim said, helping Hyejoo into the boat. She untied the rope holding it to the docks and carefully stepped in. She used a paddle to push off from the docks and started to row them outward.

Hyunjin was less gentle than Yerim was. She helped Heejin into the boat, and untie the rope holding it in place. But instead of getting in and pushing off, she grabbed the decorative mast at the front and kicked off the dock, using the momentum to jump into her seat. The boat rocked as she landed, but not enough to knock any water inside. “Hey!” Heejin yelled, panicking a little bit. Hyunjin just laughed at her as she started rowing outward.

After a few minutes, Hyejoo noticed they weren’t quite going in the same direction as everyone else. “Where are we going?” she asked, turning over her shoulder to look at Yerim.

“Best day of your life? I figured you should have a decent seat,” Yerim said, smiling at her.

The twins settled in as their guides rowed them out. It took a while, and they were relatively silent, but eventually Yerim and Hyunjin slowed to a stop, turning the boats so that they all could sit sideways and face the castle. The sun had fully set by then, leaving only the stars and the moon to light the area. Any second now, the lanterns would appear, but Hyejoo could only deflate as her excitement faded.

Yerim quickly picked up on it, having been openly staring at the girl in anticipation of her reaction. “You ok?” she asked gently.

“I’m terrified,” Hyejoo admitted.

“Why?”

Hyejoo sighed. “I’ve been looking out a window for 18 years dreaming about what it might feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if it’s not everything that I dreamed it would be?”

Yerim looked at her for a second. “It will be,” she said with certainty.

Hyejoo turned to look at her. “And what if it is? What then?”

Yerim turned her head as she thought of an answer. “That’s the best part. You get to go and find a new dream,” she said, turning back to Hyejoo with her signature lazy smile.

Hyejoo chuckled, feeling her own smile forming. They both turned back to face the castle, waiting for the next part.

  
  


Despite knowing that this day comes every year, it never gets easier on Sooyoung. She sniffled, fighting her emotions as she slipped on her coat over her shoulders. She and Jinsoul were going to step out onto the balcony in a few minutes to lift the lanterns, but for right now they were just trying to keep it together. She glanced over at her wife, meeting her eyes right away.

Jinsoul stepped over to her, softly brushing her cheek with her hand. “You ready?” she whispered. Sooyoung exhaled shakily and nodded. Jinsoul grabbed her hand and led to two of them out of the doors.

Two guards opened the grand, oak doors for them and they came face to face with the two lanterns. They stepped up and each grabbed a match, lighting the lantern in front of them. Sooyoung lit the one with the pink sun, while Jinsoul lit the one with the black moon. Neither of them had prepared a speech for that night. They had already spread the announcement that they didn’t want to speak. This was the first lantern lighting after they revealed they had called off the search for their missing daughters. They wanted this to just happen between the two of them.

With a nod from Sooyoung, they lifted the lanterns into the air and let go, before latching onto each other. Their eyes stayed glued to the dancing pair of lights as they rose into the sky.

Down below them, the rest of the kingdom followed suit. They quickly lit their lanterns and released them into the air, creating a beautiful display of floating lights. The lights filled the castle courtyard and slowly trickled down the streets, filling every corner of the kingdom.

Back on the water, the duos had grown bored sitting and waiting. Hyejoo made Yerim hold up flowers she had pulled from her hair while she placed them in the water, watching them float off. Heejin still had some extra paint, and with the new brush that Hyunjin had surprised her with, was using the taller girl’s arm as a canvas.

“Hold still,” Heejin repeated for the hundredth time.

“It tickles,” Hyunjin said.

“I don’t care,” Heejin said, holding onto her wrist tighter so she didn’t move.

Hyunjin silently watched her work, letting her have her fun. She voiced the single thought on her mind as Heejin adjusted her grip. “You don’t like being touched much, do you?”

Heejin faltered in her painting, looking up to meet Hyunjin’s eyes. She looked away, almost ashamed of herself. “Why?” she asked.

Hyunjin was quick to reassure her. “It’s not a bad thing, it’s just something I’ve noticed.” When Heejin didn’t respond, she kept going. “You always wrap your arms around yourself when we’re in big crowds and you sometimes flinch when I get too close.”

“I’m sorry,” Heejin mumbled, pulling her hands away from Hyunjin’s arm.

“Don’t apologize. If I ever do anything wrong, just let me know. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Hyunjin said.

Heejin looked up at her with a sad smile. “See that’s the thing. The only people I’ve ever been around in my entire life, before now, were Hyejoo and our mother. One of them liked to beat me, and the other was the only person I’ve ever been ok with any kind of physical contact before.” Heejin looked deep into Hyunjin’s eyes. “And then you came along. I don’t know why, but you don’t scare me. I mean- Yerim doesn’t scare me, she seems to be ok. I just mean...” she trailed off, not really knowing how to explain herself.

“I get it,” Hyunjin said.

Heejin nodded and felt her cheeks heat up. “Sometimes when I don’t know it’s you next to me, I flinch. But then I realize it’s you and I immediately relax. And what you did for me yesterday before we set up camp; how you calmed me down? I don’t know how you did that, but it worked. And I wasn’t crawling out of my skin from you touching me either.” She looked down at the ground, unable to look at Hyunjin directly.

Hyunjin smiled to herself since Heejin wasn’t looking at her. “Aw, you do like me,” she said, breaking the moment. Both of them were grateful for it.

Heejin knocked their knees together and playfully glared at her. “Don’t push it. You still annoy me,” she said. Hyunjin just held her arm out to her so that Heejin could continue her work.

Hyejoo’s sharp gasp broke their silence as she noticed lights in the water’s reflection. Her head shot up and her jaw dropped as she realized the lantern lighting had started. Tears welled in her eyes as more and more appeared- from over the walls of the kingdom, off the larger boats in the ports, from any surface Hyejoo could see. She felt overwhelmed, but Yerim’s hand slipped into her own and she felt grounded.

She watched the lanterns for a few minutes, turning over and seeing Heejin smiling at her. She laughed, one that sounded closer to a sob, and shook her head, silently asking  _ how did we get here _ ? She felt Yerim’s hand slip out of hers, but didn’t think anything of it until she saw a glow out of the corner of her eye. She turned and gasped, seeing her holding two, small, lit lanterns.

“Why just watch them? You came all the way here, might as well have your own.”

Hyejoo turned so she could face Yerim, their knees knocking. “I have something for you too,” she said, remembering what was in her satchel. “I should have just given it to you before, but I was scared. But I’m not scared anymore, you know what I mean?” she asked.

Yerim pushed the stachel down, letting it fall into the bottom of the boat. “I’m starting to,” she said, looking deeply into Hyejoo’s eyes.

Hyejoo gently smiled and took the lantern that Yerim was offering. In unison, they lifted their lanterns up and let them go, watching as they spun and twirled around each other. Yerim could see over Hyejoo’s shoulder that Hyunjin had done the same for her and Heejin. Heejin didn’t look as enthusiastic as Hyejoo, but she still had a calm smile on her face and she wasn’t bickering with Hyunjin. Her attention was quickly brought back to Hyejoo as she sat less than a foot away. Her eyes and her smile were wide and she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the lanterns around them. Some of the lanterns had floated back down and landed in the water, floating by aimlessly. Hyejoo reached out to a few of them to lift them back into the air. 

Yerim watched Hyejoo for a bit more before reaching out and taking her hand, getting her attention. Yerim could feel the flush in her cheeks, and she frankly didn’t care if Hyejoo noticed. She’s not sure how she got here, alone in a boat with a girl she met yesterday who was naive to think the world was full of nothing but good people. But in that moment, there was nowhere else she wanted to be. She knew she wasn’t crazy about the way Hyejoo was looking at her in that moment, because she knew it was the same look on her own face.

Hyejoo turned her hand over in Yerim’s, lightly twining their fingers together. Yerim reached up with her free hand to brush some stray hairs behind Hyejoo’s ear, trailing her fingers over her jaw and slowly cupping the side of her head. They both leaned in slowly, glancing down at the other’s lips. Just as their noses brushed, the occupants of the other boat interrupted them.

“Hey lovergirl! I’m pretty sure Heejin’s ready to stab you the second she gets her hands on you!” Hyunjin shouted over. She was slowly rowing her boat towards them.

Yerim pulled apart from Hyejoo quickly, seeing the glare Heejin was shooting her way. Hyejoo whipped around and gave Heejin her own glare, mad at her sister for ruining the moment.

Hyunjin carefully maneuvered her boat next to theirs, holding onto the side and pulling in close. “I don’t know about you two, but I’ve had a long day and I’m exhausted. Plus, we’re wanted criminals in this kingdom and we need to get going before someone spots us.”

Yerim sighed and sat back, picking up her oars and pushing Hyunjin’s boat away. “She’s right. Let’s get going.” She glanced at Hyejoo, seeing the younger girl avoiding her eye. She just hoped she didn’t ruin anything with her. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted movement on the shore. Two very familiar figures stood in the rocks, barely illuminated by the dim lantern one of them held. “Hyun,” she said.

Hyunjin hummed, turning to her and then following her line of sight. “Is that-” she started to ask. She and Yerim shared a long moment of eye contact before springing into action.

They rowed to the opposite shore quickly. Yerim and Hyunjin jumped out in the shallows and pulled the boat the rest of the way.

“Are you ok?” Hyejoo asked, reaching out and touching Yerim’s arm.

Yerim moved to grab the satchel, cradling it to her side. “I’m sorry, everything’s fine. There’s just something I have to take care of.”

Hyejoo glanced down at the bag then back at her. “Ok,” she said after a few seconds. She was so confused.

“We’ll be right back.” Yerim and Hyunjin took off along the shore with lingering looks back to the twins.

“Are they ok?” Heejin asked quietly. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to fight off the night’s chill.

“I don’t know,” Hyejoo said. “Did Hyunjin say anything?”

Heejin shook her head. “No. Did Yerim?” Hyejoo shook her head as well. Neither of them had any idea what was happening, but they were both worried.

Yerim pushed through the foliage, holding it open for Hyunjin as they greeted their friends. “Good gods, there you two are. Where the hell have you been? We’ve been through a lot of shit in the past 2 days!”

Chaewon sat on a large rock right in front of them, just staring. Yeojin stood off to the side, and as soon as they were through the trees, started circling around behind them.

“Are you guys ok? Did the guards get you?” Yerim kept going. Again, Chaewon was just staring.

Hyunjin glanced around, feeling uneasy.

“Right,” Yerim said slowly, looking at her friend concerned. “Well, we wanted to give you this.” She tossed the satchel with the tiaras at Chaewon and it landed a few feet short. The flap opened and both of them were visible in the moonlight. “Sell them, keep them, we don’t care. Me and Hyun are gonna split for a while and lay low until our names get cleared.” She turned around to leave, only to bump into a large male figure.

“Man, you were really holding out on us, weren’t you Yerim?” a voice that definitely wasn’t Chaewon’s said.

Hyunjin and Yerim scrambled back, seeing two large men advancing towards them.

“Who the hell are you? Where did our friends just go?” Hyunjin asked.

The men kept getting closer. “Forget the crowns, Yerim. We want the girls. We’ll make a fortune off of them.”

Panic rose in both girls. “No! Don’t you fucking touch them!” Hyunjin yelled, reaching into her bag to pull out her knife. Neither of them had a chance to try and defend themselves properly when the men struck out, knocking them unconcious in one hit each.

Heejin and Hyejoo were trying to wait patiently for the others to return. “What did they see?” Heejin asked, kicking her feet in the rocks.

“I don’t know,” Hyejoo said. “I didn’t see anything when I turned to look but apparently they did.”

Heejin hummed and turned to face Hyejoo. “Did you have fun?” she asked.

Hyejoo couldn’t fight off her wide smile. “Yeah,” she said wistfully. “I had the best time.”

Heejin wrapped one arm around Hyejoo’s shoulders. “I’m glad. I saw you getting cozy with a wanted criminal,” she teased.

Hyejoo groaned and lightly pushed her away. She rubbed at her cheeks hoping to make some of the redness go away. “Shut up. I saw you and Hyunjin holding hands while you were watching the lanterns.”

Heejin quickly got defensive. “Woah! I didn’t want that to happen! I was just being nice because she bought me a paint brush as a gift.”

“Aw, she did?”

Heejin’s blush was obvious in the pale moonlight. “Yeah. It’s not a big deal. She just knew I liked to paint and when we were in the paint store earlier she said she asked which paint brush would be best to get. She got this one because it’s made from rabbit’s hair and  _ I _ know that means it’s great quality and can be used to paint finer details more easily but she didn’t so she had to listen to the guy and learn and yeah she just said she picked it up. It’s not a big deal,” Heejin rambled.

Hyejoo looked at her, trying to contain her laughter. “Right,  _ not a big deal _ .”

“Shut up. I don’t like her,” Heejin groaned. 

“I never said you did!” Hyejoo said, trying to defend herself.

Some movement behind Hyejoo’s head caught Heejin’s attention. Hyejoo turned and saw two figures approaching in the fog. “We were starting to think you two ran off with the crowns and left us!” Heejin called out to them.

The twins’ hearts dropped as the figures walked closer, realizing they weren’t who they thought they were. Hyejoo and Heejin scrambled back a few feet, holding onto each other’s hands tightly. Two large men slowly approached them, and the girls recognized them from the tavern. They were the only men who didn’t seem to have an interest in the wanted thieves. “They did,” one of them said, nodding towards the water.

“What? No, they wouldn’t,” Heejin mumbled. The girls looked out towards the water, seeing a boat sailing back towards the kingdom. Yerim stood at the wheel while Hyunjin stood on the side.

“Yerim?” Hyejoo called out, barely hearing herself speak over the sound of her own heart breaking. “Yerim!” she yelled louder, wanting to run into the water and swim after her.

“A fair trade,”” the same man said, circling around the two. “The crown for the girl with the magic hair.”

Hyejoo could feel fear rising in her chest.

“How much do you think someone would pay to stay young and healthy forever?” the other man asked. They were surrounding the girls against the edge of the water. One of them pulled a bag out and moved for Hyejoo while the other pulled a knife out and moved towards Heejin.

The twins managed to squeeze between the two men and rush past them. They ran around the same corner they saw Yerim and Hyunjin go around, hoping to get away from the men. They didn’t make it very far before Hyejoo stumbled on a stray log, twisting her ankle awkwardly. She yelped in pain and stopped moving. “Hyejoo!” Heejin yelled out, worried that the men were going to come behind them any second.

Her worries turned to confusion when they heard a commotion around the large stone. The men grunted and blows were heard, then suddenly there was silence.

“Hyejoo!”

Both the girls’ stomachs sank as they recognized the voice. “Mother?” Hyejoo questioned. Heejin helped support her as they walked back around the stone, coming face to face with their mother.

“Oh my precious girl!” she said, quickly walking over to wrap Hyejoo up in a hug. Against all her better judgment, Hyejoo crumbled in her arms, needing her mother’s comfort. Heejin had moved to the side quickly to get out of Mother’s way, wanting no kind of contact with the woman. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?” she asked, checking Hyejoo over.

“How did you-” Hyejoo started to ask, not sure how to finish the question.

“I followed you because I was so worried about you. And then I saw them attack you and I-” she suddenly grabbed Hyejoo’s hands and pulled her along. “Quickly! We need to leave, before they come to!”

Hyejoo barely let herself be pulled before she was turning and reaching for Heejin. “Mother! Wait for Heejin!”

Mother shot Heejin a look as she slowly walked over to join them, taking her sister’s hands. No words needed to be spoken for both girls to know that Mother didn’t want Heejin to come with them.

Hyejoo spared one last glance out at the boat as Mother started to pull her along. Tears welled up in her eyes as her emotions overwhelmed her. She turned to meet Mother’s gentle eyes. Hyejoo leaned into her, breaking down in her arms. “You were right. About everything,” she sobbed.

“I know, darling. I know.”

The twins walked away with their mother, missing the boat making contact with the docks outside the kingdom. The loud noise alerted the nearby guards stationed on the wall above. The guards rushed down below as the occupants of the boat started to come to.

Yerim groggily opened her eyes, trying to make sense of where she was. “Hyejoo,” she mumbled. She tried to move, but found herself restricted. She looked down, seeing that she was tied to a ship. Her hands were fixed to the wheel and her body was tied to the mast. She heard groaning next oher and turned to see Hyunjin tied up near the left side of the boat. “Hyunjin!”

Hyunjin’s head snapped up and she took in their situation. Her head whipped around frantically. “Heejin!” she called.

Seconds later, the guards were jumping into the boat and grabbing onto them. It took a few long minutes of struggling, but both Yerim and Hyunjin made it onto land. The guards had taken the crowns back and shoved them up onto the shore.

“Hyejoo!” Yerim called, trying to look across the opposite shore. “Stop! They’re in danger!” Yerim tried to tell the guards.

“I’m sure they’re better off now that they’re away from you,” one of the guards said. Yerim almost immediately stopped struggling, realizing the partial truth to that.

The guards led them through the streets, to the prison near the castle. Yerim tried to calmly explain the situation to the guards around her, but none of them would listen. Hyunjin struggled against their hold, yelling loudly at them to let her go. It wasn’t until they were each shoved in connected cells that they realized no one was going to listen to them.

Yerim settled against the back wall as Hyunjin paced in front of her. “We have to get out of here. They could be in danger!” Hyunjin said.

“You think I don’t know that?” Yerim said. “But in case you can’t tell, we’re in prison. We fucked up  _ again _ and now the twins are in danger and there’s not a whole lot we can do to help them.”

Hyunjin turned to glare at her. “So you’re giving up?” she spat.

“No. But unless you have an actual plan that’s going to work, I suggest you sit down and get comfy.” Yerim leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes. It was the only thing she could do to stop herself from crying.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And that concludes the Tangled part of the story!! But don't worry, I'm nowhere near done with this story just yet!! Follow me on twitter @edievelgs or drop a comment below or in my curiouscat!! curiouscat.me/wlwaris ^-^

Hyunjin spent the entire night pacing her cell, occasionally hitting the wall or the bars in frustration. Yerim eventually couldn’t sit still, choosing the stare out the window. Her hands were always moving, either running through her hair or pulling at the bars on the window.

The door opened behind her, getting her attention. The guards were standing outside her cell, with Haseul at the front. “Let’s get this over with Choerry.”

She stared hard at her, not backing down. “That’s not my name.”

Haseul raised an eyebrow. “Well, whatever your name is, let’s go.”

“Where are we going?” Yerim asked. She didn’t get a verbal response. Her stomach dropped in realization and she brought her hand to her throat. “Oh,” she whispered.

Yerim was led out of her cell in restraints, with Haseul's hand on her shoulder guiding her out of the prison. She could see Hyunjin walking ahead of her. Her head hung low as she realized she was most likely living her last few moments. Movement in one of the cells caught her eye and she turned her head, seeing the two thugs that had jumped her and Hyunjin. Anger flared through her and she slammed into the captain, knocking her to the side. She headbutted the other guard and in a smooth motion, jumped up and tucked her legs in to bring her arms to her front. She slid in front of the thugs’ cell and reached through the bars, grabbing their collars and slamming their faces into the bars. “How did you know about her? Tell me, now!” she shouted.

One of them looked rightfully scared of her. “It wasn’t us! It was the old lady!” he said, panicked.

“Old lady?” she asked herself. She didn’t get a chance to ask more questions when the guards were grabbing her and yanking her away. She could barely find her footing with how hard they were pulling her. “Wait, no! Wait! You don’t understand! She’s in trouble!” she tried to say.

_ Meanwhile _

Hyejoo sat on the edge of her bed as Mother finished picking the last of the flowers out of her hair. Heejin was sitting on her bed, as far away from Mother as she could get without leaving the room.

“There,” Mother said, dropping the last flower in the basket. “It’s like it never happened.” She bent down to pick up the basket and started out of the room. “Now, wash up for dinner. I’m making your favorite!” she sang. She turned and saw Hyejoo still sulking and stopped in her tracks. “I really did try, Hyejoo. I tried to warn you what was out there. The world is dark and selfish and cruel.” She reached up to grab the curtain that separates the twins’ room from the rest of the tower. “If it finds even the slightest ray of sunlight, it destroys it.” She closed the curtain, leaving the twins to themselves.

Heejin waited for a brief moment before slowly walking over and sitting on Hyejoo’s bed with her. She didn’t say anything, choosing to let the silence weigh heavily on both of them.

Hyejoo felt her sister next to her, and was glad that she wasn’t trying to talk to her. She didn’t really feel like talking. Once she was sure Mother was gone, she slowly uncupped her hands, revealing the small flag that Yerim had gifted her. Heejin chuckled softly and reached into her dress pocket, pulling out her own flag.

Hyejoo slumped and fell back onto her bed. She clutched the flag tightly to her chests and closed her eyes, trying to keep her emotions at bay. Heejin placed a hand on her thigh, and Hyejoo nudged her in return. She opened her eyes, looking up at the high ceiling covered in Heejin’s art work. She froze as something caught her eye. She stared at one of the paintings for a few seconds before pulling the flag up and comparing. She put the flag down only to pull it back up and repeat the process. There, in the negative space in the painting of a few flowers, was the outline of the sun- the symbol of the Kingdom of Corona.

Hyejoo nudged Heejin with her leg. “Heejin,” she mumbled.

“Hm?” Heejin hummed turning to look at her. Hyejoo just patted the bed next to her. Heejin laid down and looked where Hyejoo was pointing.

“Do you see that?” Heejin looked closer, finally seeing what Hyejoo meant.

“Is that-” she started to ask. She shot up, glancing around the room at her other paintings. She started noticing more and more outlines of suns, included in almost all of her paintings. “Why is- why did I?” She couldn’t find the right questions to ask herself. Heejin was staring at a painting that was almost eye level with her when she got a flash. A sun. Spinning toys. Two figures standing over her crib. Her crib? She remembered the figures, having seen them in the square. “Hye, are we-”

Hyejoo was having her own flashes. A moon, two figures, cries from across the room. She recognized the figures as well. “The mural,” she started. “Those babies the queens are holding. Are they twins?” she asked quietly.

Heejin nodded slowly. “I think so. Are you seeing  _ them _ ?” she asked slowly.

Hyejoo nodded silently. They were both remembering the feeling they had as they put the crowns on their heads- that moment of realization as pieces they didn’t know about started to click. “Heejin, I think we’re the lost princesses.”

That admission was too much for Heejin as she stumbled backwards into her vanity. The chair toppled over and some things clattered to the ground. She steadied herself quickly and looked towards the doorway, her jaw set in place. Hyejoo had the same idea and they moved to leave the room.

“Hyejoo, darling? What’s going on up there?” The girls could hear Mother making her way up the stairs.

Heejin didn’t have the energy left in her to make a snarky comment about how it wasn’t Hyejoo who was making noise. She was panting from the shock of the realization as she pulled the curtain back, coming face to face with their mother on the stairs.

Mother paid her no attention, instead looking past her into the room. “Are you alright?” she asked Hyejoo again.

Hyejoo slowly walked over to stand behind Hyejoo, whispering as she moved. “We’re the lost princesses.”

Mother rolled her eyes. “Please speak up, Hyejoo. You know how I hate the mumbling.”

“We are the lost princesses,” Hyejoo practically shouted. She moved to stand in front of Heejin. “Aren’t we?” she pressed. The look on Mother’s face was all she needed for an answer. “Did I mumble, Mother? Or should I even call you that?”

Mother hesitated for a few seconds before trying to cover her bases. “Hyejoo, do you even hear yourself? Why would you ask such a ridiculous question?” she asked, moving up the stairs to try and wrap Hyejoo in a hug.

Hyejoo shoved her away, taking a step back herself. She and Heejin were almost pinned to the banister of the small balcony outside their room. “It was you! You took us away from our home! From our parents!”

Mother’s face darkened. “Everything I did was to protect you.” Hyejoo shoved past Mother, pulling Heejin with her as she ran down the stairs. “Hyejoo!” she tried to call.

Hyejoo was having none of her anymore. “We have spent our entire lives hiding from people who would use me for my power, when I should have been hiding from you!” she yelled, turning to face her once she hit the bottom of the stairs.

“Where will you go?  _ She _ won’t be there for you,” she spat.

Hyejoo and Heejin’s faces fell. “What did you do to them?” Heejin asked, her voice dark.

Mother lifted her chin, feeling proud of herself. “Those criminals are to be hanged for their crimes.”

The twins both teared up. “No,” Hyejoo whispered.

“Now, now. It’s all right,” Mother said, placing a hand on Hyejoo’s shoulders. Heejin had backed up a few steps to get away from her. “Listen to me. All is as it should be.” She tried to place a hand on Hyejoo’s hand, only to be stopped. Hyejoo caught her mother’s wrist in her hand, holding onto it almost painfully. “No! You were wrong about the world. And you were wrong about me. And I will  _ never _ let you use my hair again.” Tears were falling down her face by now, but she remained strong.

Mother pulled her arm away, actually intimidated by Hyejoo’s defiant attitude. She bumped into the tall mirror as she stumbled backwards, sending it to the ground. It shattered loudly, echoing in the tower. The three of them stood there in tense silence before Hyejoo grabbed Heejin’s arm and started to pull her away. They discovered the secret entrance to the tower when Mother had brought them back up that way, and they were determined to leave through there. Mother quickly followed after them, talking to herself as she stopped them. “You want me to be the bad guy? Fine. If that’s how you want this to go.”

_ Meanwhile _

Hyunjin and Yerim were led through a small, private hallway just before the courtyard where the gallows were waiting for them. The door behind Yerim shut, but she barely paid attention as she still struggled against the guards.

As they were walking through, Yerim turned and saw a little wooden duck sitting on an indentation in the wall, and she immediately stopped struggling in her confusion. Just before she could put the pieces together, the door right next to her slammed shut, then the door in front of Hyunjin closed as well. The guards were visibly confused.

“What’s going on?” Haseul asked. She turned and pounded on the door in front of Hyunjin. “Open up!” she shouted.

The little hatch on the door slid to the side. “What’s the password?” A male voice asked. Yerim and Hyunjin immediately recognized it.

“What?” Haseul mumbled.

“Nope!”

“Open this door!” the captain said, growing frustrated.

“Not even close!”

“I’m done playing games!” Haseul shouted.

Chaos broke out after she spoke. The door to the side of Yerim opened and two men took care of the guards holding onto her. When the other set of guards and the captain turned to see the commotion behind them, the door in front opened and another set of men came in to take care of the guards. Haseul stood there stunned, staring at her prisoners. Before she could make a move, the door at the very back of the small hallway slammed open, revealing more guards.

Yerim and Hyunjin shoved past the captain, running as fast as they could with their restraints on. The thugs from the tavern helped guide them through the prison, taking care of any guards that got in their way. They were led out to a separate courtyard, thankfully clear of the gallows. They were at a loss of where to go, when they heard a loud whistle. They turned and saw Yeojin holding a door open for them, waving them quickly inside. They sprinted over to her and ran back inside a smaller hallway and Yeojin shut and locked the door behind them. They were face to face with Chaewon as the smallest of their group worked to make sure they were alone.

Yeojin quickly got to work on their restraints, somehow managing to have the key. “There you guys are. We were worried something had gone wrong, you were taking forever.” She finished unlocking their handcuffs and the metal clattered to the ground.

“We’ve been looking all over for-” Chaewon didn’t finish talking before Yerim had shoved her into the wall, her forearm pressed into her throat. Hyunjin had Yeojin in a similar position.

“Christ, Hyun. What the hell?” Yeojin squeaked out.

“Tell me something only you two would know!” Yerim shouted.

“What?” Chaewon asked, trying to move Yerim’s arm off of her.

“Just do it!” Yerim shouted, pressing in harder.

“You never sleep with your back exposed to the elements because you don’t want to risk something sneaking up behind you!” Chaewon struggled to say. Yerim didn’t move her arm away just yet.

Hyunjin looked expectantly at Yeojin. “You once cried because you found a box of stray cats on the street and no one was around to claim them. You came back a week later and found out they had died and you didn’t speak for almost 3 weeks.”

Yerim and Hyunjin let up on the girls immediately. They rubbed at their throats and coughed a bit, trying to just breathe properly.

“What the  _ fuck _ ?” Chaewon asked, glaring at them.

“The last time we thought we saw you, it turned out to be a trick by some witch. We just needed to be sure,” Yerim said. “But we have to get out of here.” She stopped, having realized something. “Why are you two here?”

“We were hiding out in the woods near the Snuggly Duckling and we saw this horse come out of nowhere. It had a chewed up poster of us in its mouth and the men figured out you were in danger. Somehow,” Chaewon finished, unsure of all the details.

“Later,” Yerim waved her off.

“Right, so we stopped them, told them who we were, and we planned the breakout together,” Yeojin said.

“Great. You broke us out, now  _ we need to go! _ ” Hyunjin stressed.

“We know. We just need to make it to the stables. Geureum and Lucky are waiting for you two. And we’re coming with,” Yeojin said.

Yerim paused for a moment. “How do you know which horse we needed?”

Yeojin and Chaewon glanced at each other. “It’s a long story,” Yeojin said. “Come on.” She turned and started running, leading them through smaller hallways hidden deep in the castle.

“Yeojin, how do you know how to get around so well?” Hyunjin asked.

“I said it’s a long story, now shut up,” the small girl said.

They were only a few feet from the stables, they could hear the horses moving around inside. But they didn’t get a chance to make their break for it when they were caught.

“Stop!” All four of them froze and raised their arms. They turned around slowly and came face to face with the guard captain and another woman similarly dressed. Their crossbows were aimed at them, ready to fire at any movement. They both faltered, lowering their crossbows slightly when they recognized one of them. “Yeojin?” Haseul asked.

“Mama. You have to let us go,” Yeojin said, lowering her hands all the way.

“Yeojin. What do you think you’re doing?” Haseul looked apprehensive to hold her weapon up anymore.

“These are my friends. And some of their other friends are in a lot of danger right now. And we need to go help them. You have to let us leave.”

The captain shook her head. “You’re not going anywhere with them,” she said firmly.

“Mama,  _ please _ . I promise we’ll be back and we’ll explain everything. But we have to go. Lives are at stake here,” Yeojin pleaded with her.

The gears in Yerim and Hyunjin’s heads were turning as Yeojin spoke to this woman.

Haseul glanced at all four of them, then to the woman she was standing with. “Jiwoo, gather up the men. The official report is that these two managed to escape. Reports from the watchmen say that they saw them heading-” she stopped, looking at them questioningly.

“We need to head east out of the kingdom,” Hyunjin filled in.

“Then the reports say they were spotted heading west.” She pulled her crossbow down and stood back. She looked at Yeojin sternly. “You’re going to explain  _ everything _ when you get back.”

Yeojin nodded and moved to run to the stables, having to pull the other girls with her. They raced over to the four horses that were off to the side, each quickly claiming one for themselves.

“Yeojin, what the  _ fuck _ was that?” Yerim yelled as she quickly mounted Geureum. The horse was excited to see her again, but was ready to race back to the tower.

“If I have to explain everything, I’m not going to do it right now. I’ll tell you everything later. Now let’s go!” Yerim didn’t have to wait for her to say that again before the four of them were racing off through the side streets to the main bridge out of the kingdom. Yerim contained her confusion and anger for the moment, knowing that Yeojin was right.

The route they took was luckily devoid of any guards, and none of them were stationed along the bridge. They had amazing luck getting out of the kingdom and were soon deep in the forest. They pushed their horses as fast as they would go. Luckily, all four horses were some of the fastest around, trained to either run messages between kingdoms or chase after runaways. The journey felt like it took days, but eventually the quartet was barrelling through the tunnel and out into the clearing with the tower in it, Yerim and Hyunjin taking the lead. They came to an abrupt stop at the base of the tower. Yerim and Hyunjin didn’t even wait for their horses to come to a stop before jumping off.

“Hyejoo!”

“Heejin!”

They screamed up at the tower, hoping to get even the slightest response. Hyunjin grew tired of waiting and started to try and climb the tower, digging her fingers inbetween the stones. They both stopped hearing the sound of the window opening at the top. A second later, two ropes were thrown out of the window. Hyunjin and Yerim grabbed one each and quickly started climbing the tower. “Stay here! We’ll be back in a bit!” Yerim called down to the other two.

They climbed the tower faster than the first time, desperate to get to the top and make sure the girls were safe. Yerim made it a split second before Hyunjin did, but she spared a second to help her friend through the window.

“Hyejoo, are you alright?” Yerim called before she turned around. Her whole being froze when she turned and saw Hyejoo gagged and tied up with chains.

Hyejoo was trying to tell her something, but couldn’t with the gag in her mouth. Yerim took a step forward, only to find out what Hyejoo was trying to warn her about. Red hot paint flared from her abdomen as she came face to face with who she assumed was the twin’s mother. Yerim glanced down at the dagger buried in her body, then back up. The woman had a dark smirk on her face as she twisted the dagger and then pulled it out.

Yerim crumpled to the ground as the woman advanced on Hyunjin. Despite her shock from seeing her best friend run through with a blade, Hyunjin pulled her own knife out, ready to defend herself.

Mother scoffed and turned away. “You’re not even worth my time right now.” She stepped over Yerim’s body, kicking her legs as she did. “You see what you’ve done Hyejoo?” Hyejoo was still whimpering through her gag. “Oh don’t worry. Our secret will die with them.” Mother walked over and grabbed the end of the chain that was tying Hyejoo to a post. “We’re leaving now. And no one is ever going to find you again.”

Hyunjin was watching all of this tensely, realizing one person was missing. She quickly glanced around the bottom of the tower, finding who she was looking for. Heejin was tied to the banister at the bottom of the staircase, laying limply and bleeding down her face. She rushed over to her, checking the wound on her head before attempting to shake her awake. Heejin opened her eyes groggily, but didn’t do much more than that. Hyunjin knew by the way their mother was acting that she wasn’t planning on taking Heejin with her.

Mother was trying to pull Hyejoo down into the entrance to the staircase. Hyejoo was standing her ground as best she could. She fought against her mother’s pulls, her eyes never leaving Yerim’s body. “Hyejoo! Enough already! Stop fighting me!” she shouted.

In her struggle, Hyejoo managed to pull back and land harshly on the ground. Her gag slipped down in her movements. “No! For every minute of the rest of my life, I will always fight you! I’ll never stop fighting you! I’ll never stop trying to get away from you” she yelled. She panted heavily for a second. “But if you let me save her, I will go with you,” she said.

Yerim was laying on her back, writhing in pain. “No! No, Hyejoo,” she groaned through her pain.

Hyejoo turned to look at her, still speaking to her mother. “I’ll never run, I’ll never try to escape. Just let me heal her and you and I will be together, forever, just like you want. We’ll go back to normal, just you and me. I promise. Just let me heal her,” she enunciated at the end.

Mother steeled her gaze. “You’d leave your sister behind? Just like that?”

Hyejoo nodded, turning back to face her. “She’s useless to us anyway. Always has been.”

Mother smirked down at her. “Finally, you see my side of things.” She dropped the chains and knelt to undo Hyejoo’s restraints. “Stay there,” she said, once she was free. 

Once Mother’s back was to her, Hyejoo ripped to gag off and stood, looking over to Hyunjin and Heejin. Hyunjin met her eye and gave her a nod, letting her know they were ok for now.

Mother took the chains that were holding Hyejoo and moved to tie Yerim up, not bothering to be gentle about it. She wrapped the chain around her waist and then placed the cuffs on tightly, securing her to the banister as well. She moved towards Hyunjin when she was done, using the extra length of chain from Heejin’s restraints to keep her from moving. She stood back and gave Hyejoo the motion to go ahead.

Hyejoo rushed over, falling to her knees beside the injured girl. “Yerim!” she said, her voice panicking as she took in Yerim’s state. She cupped her face, moving some of her hair out of the way. Yerim was groaning in pain and coughing up some blood. She wasn’t looking good. Hyejoo moved one of her own hands to Yerim’s stomach, moving her arm out of the way to get a look at her wound.

There was a hole in her shirt, but Hyejoo could barely find it with how much blood had soaked through it. Her white shirt was entirely red at the stomach and it was soaking through her jacket. Her own hands were covered in her blood and her face was pale, her eyes screwed shut tightly in pain. She didn’t have much time left.

“I’m so sorry,” Hyejoo said as tears welled up in her eyes. “Everything’s going to be ok though.” She pulled some of her hair forward, trying to set it against Yerim’s wound.

“No, Hyejoo,” Yerim protested.

Hyejoo ignored her. “I promise. You just have to trust me. Just breathe, you’re going to be ok.”

Yerim pushed harder. “I can’t let you do this,” she said, sounding strained. She finally managed to open her eyes and look at Hyejoo.

Hyejoo grew limp. “And I can’t let you die,” she whispered.

“But if you do,” Yerim said, trying to sit up. Hyejoo shushed her and cupped her cheek again. “-then you will die.”

Hyejoo tried to smile at her, but it came out as more of a grimace. “Hey. It’s going to be alright.”

“Hyejoo, wait,” Yerim said. She weakly reached a hand up and moved some of her hair back. Hyejoo leaned into the touch and closed her eyes, not realizing what Yerim was doing with her other hand.

In one smooth motion. Yerim gathered Hyejoo’s long hair and cut it near her middle back, using a shard from the broken mirror that lay next to her. “Yerim! No!” Hyejoo exclaimed. The hair on her head quickly faded from the dirty blonde to almost pitch black. The long strands of hair that lay on the ground behind her did the same.

Mother quickly moved towards them. “No1” she screamed, trying to gather the hair in her arms before it darkened. It was no use and the magic quickly faded from within her. Her skin turned wrinkly and her hair faded to almost pure white. “What have you done?” she screamed at Yerim. She caught her reflection in the toppled mirror and slowly dissolved into madness. She pulled at her hair and her cloak, unable to stop the effects the lack of magic was having on her body. As she stumbled towards the window, Hyunjin acted quickly. She slid over from her spot, having just enough room to clear the window from the length of chain she was tied with. She pulled taut as Mother stepped backwards, tripping over the chain and tumbling out the window. They didn’t know what happened to her after that.

Hyejoo watched with wide eyes as the only Mother she’s ever known fell to her death. She came back to her senses, turning and seeing Yerim who had slumped against the floor. She moved closer to her, cradling her head gingerly in one hand and pressing her other against her wound. “No, no, no. Yerim!” she said, panic rising in her voice. Yerim coughed slightly, blood spilling out of the corner of her mouth. “No! Look at me, right here. Don’t go. Stay with me.” Hyejoo begged.

Hyunjin was still kneeling by the window, silently crying as she watched her best friend die.

Hyejoo had hot tears distorting her vision, and she was running out of options, but she wasn’t about to give up. “Yerim! Stay with me! Here,” she said, grabbing one of Yerim’s hands and placing it on her own head. “ _ Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine. Make the clock reverse, bring what once was mine. _ ”

“Hyejoo,” Yerim called weakly.

Hyejoo dissolved into sobs. “What?” she choked out softly. She ran her hands through Yerim’s long hair as the girl looked up at her.

Yerim pulled her hand down slightly, feeling at Hyejoo’s dark hair. Hyejoo’s hand rested lightly on top of her own, slightly curling her fingers around it. “You were my new dream,” she whispered.

Hyejoo chuckled sadly at her confession. “And you were mine,” she admitted.

Yerim let out a breathy exhale before going limp in Hyejoo’s arms, her hand falling out of Hyejoo’s grip. Hyejoo could hear her heart shattering as she stared down at Yerim’s still form.

“Hye,” she heard Heejin whisper. She looked up, seeing Heejin’s pitiful look. “Is she-” Heejin started.

“No,” Hyunjin mumbled. “No, she can’t be.”

Hyejoo ignored the both of them as she looked back down. She slowly shifted so that she could comfortably rest her forehead against Yerim’s. Their noses brushed softly and for a second Hyejoo felt like Yerim was about to lean up and let it happen again. She pulled her now free hand up to cup Yerim’s face and she started to sing. “ _ Heal what has been hurt, change the Fates’ design. Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine. What once was mine. _ ” As she finished singing, she closed her eyes. A single tear fell from her eye and landed on Yerim’s cheek and Hyejoo dissolved into sobs.

For a second, nothing happened. But the tear soaked into Yerim’s skin and burst into a tiny drop of sunlight. None of the other girls noticed anything was happening at first. Hyejoo’s eyes were shut tightly and she was blocking the other two from seeing properly. But the sunlight disappeared from Yerim’s face, only to reappear as if it was coming out of her wound. Hyejoo could see the bright light even with her eyes close and shot back in surprise. All three girls gaped at glowing strands that seemed to come out of Yerim. It filled the room with vibrant light and the tendrils curled around the air. They slowly faded as if they were never there in the first place.

Hyejoo still hovered over Yerim, looking for any kind of movement from her. After a few, long seconds of nothing, Yerim slowly opened her eyes. Hyejoo gasped and went to cup her face again before she pulled back last second, unsure of what to do. “Hyejoo?” Yerim croaked.

“Yerim?” Hyejoo asked back. She was confused on how this was possible.

Yerim looked all over her face before landing on her eyes again. She cracked a lazy smile as she spoke. “Have I ever told you I have a thing for girls with dark hair?”

Hyejoo laughed, sounding closer to a sob, before tackling Yerim back to the ground in a tight hug. They laughed loudly as they embraced, overjoyed that they were even having that moment to begin with. Hyejoo pulled back, bringing Yerim with her as she sat up. Before she would lose her confidence, Hyejoo pulled her in by the collar, smashing their lips together. Yerim squeaked in surprise before melting into the kiss. Her hand went to the back of Hyejoo’s neck to pull her closer and stayed there when they pulled away a moment later. They looked at each other, smiling wide.

Hyejoo’s smile fell as she remembered their situation. “Oh my gods, let me untie you.” She stood to find the keys as she glanced at the other two. “All of you,” she mumbled, her face growing red in embarrassment.

Yerim turned to look at Hyunjin, but couldn’t before she was tackled back to the ground by her friend. “Oof! Hyun!” she wheezed, patting her back.

Hyunjin’s voice was muffled from where her face was buried in Yerim’s neck. “Let me have this. I just watched you die.” Yerim just hugged her tighter.

Hyejoo finally found the keys near the opening in the floor and rushed back over to the trio. She unlocked Heejin’s restraints last, pulling her up slowly and hugging her tightly. “I’m sorry I called you useless. I didn’t mean it,” she sobbed into Heejin’s shoulder.

“It’s ok. I know you didn’t. You were just saying whatever you could to trick her.” They held each other for a long moment before pulling apart.

“You want to get out of here?” Yerim asked, getting their attention.

The twins nodded, wanting nothing more than to leave this tower and never come back. “Just let us grab our stuff?” Hyejoo asked.

Yerim reached out to squeeze her hand. “Of course.”

“Is your head ok?” Hyunjin asked Heejin just before she turned to go up the stairs.

Heejin raised a hand to feel her injury, wincing slightly. “I’ll be ok.”

Hyejoo peeked at it. “I’ll try and heal it later. I’m not sure how to without the hair, but I’ll figure it out.”

Heejin nodded. “It’s ok. I’m fine.”

Hyunjin stepped closer, moving some of her bloodsoaked hair. “You’re still bleeding, you’re not ok.”

Heejin pushed her hand. “I said I’m fine.”

“You don’t  _ look _ fine. Half your face is covered in blood.”

“Hyunjin, it’s ok,” Heejin said, tired of arguing.

“No, it’s not ok! I found you tied to the stairs bleeding from a head wound! That’s not ok, Heejin!” Hyunjin said, almost yelling. Heejin backed up slightly at Hyunjin’s voice. Hyunjin calmed down immediately seeing the look on her face. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. Heejin curled into herself before surprising all of them when she launched herself at Hyunjin. Hyunjin caught her easily, hugging her tightly as she rubbed her back. “I’m sorry for getting mad and I’m sorry if I was too much. I was just worried and I’m so glad you’re ok,” she said into Heejin’s hair.

Heejin buried her face further into Hyunjin’s chest. “Shut up,” she mumbled. Her tightening grip let Hyunjin know she wasn’t really mad.

Hyejoo smiled softly at the sight of her sister being so affectionate with someone who wasn’t her. “I’m going to go pack,” she said.

Heejin popped her head up, and slowly pulled away from Hyunjin. “Oh, right. Yeah me too.”

The twins rushed upstairs and into their room. They paused for a second, thinking about what they really needed to grab. They each only owned two dresses and they were currently both wearing one of them. They didn’t have a lot of possessions they felt were important to take with them either. They stuffed their spare dresses into their satchels, filling the small bag with just the single garment. Heejin still had her new paint brush from Hyunjin buried underneath it. Hyejoo still had the book from Yerim as well. Other than the small flags they had been gifted, there wasn’t much else they wanted to grab. They took one last look around the room together, admiring Heejin’s artwork before turning and leaving. They walked back downstairs, meeting with the other two again.

Hyunjin and Yerim had cleared the chains out of the way, setting them off to the side. Hyunjin had found a broom and swept the glass shards up near the fallen mirror. They were standing around just waiting for the twins to come back.

“Ready?” Yerim asked gently. She reached her hand out for Hyejoo to take, smiling just as gently at her when she took it.

“Ready,” Hyejoo said. She stepped through the small opening in the floor first, and started to make her way down the stairs. Yerim followed after her, then Heejin, then Hyunjin taking her time to slide the panel back in place over them.

They exited the tower at the back and Hyunjin shut the door behind her. She stared at it for a long second before turning to the twins. “Is there a way to lock this?” she asked.

The twins both shrugged. “We didn’t know that was there until earlier today,” Heejin said.

Hyunjin took that as an answer and stepped away from the door. The quartet made their way down the small hill and around the base of the tower. They were met with a loud voice almost immediately.

“There you are! What the hell took you guys so long?” A small girl sat atop a palace horse, looking at the group with mild annoyance and worry.

“Why are you covered in blood?” a blonde haired girl asked them.

Yerim walked over to her horse and opened one of the side panels. She pulled out an apple she just happened to find and fed it to Geureum. “I got stabbed and died for a minute. Can we never talk about that again?”

The first girl fake laughed. “Right, now what really happened?”

“She’s being serious,” Hyunjin said.

The two girls atop the horses gawked at Yerim. “What the fuck does that mean?” the blonde asked.

“We’ll fill you in later. For now we need to get these two home,” Yerim said, climbing up onto Geureum’s saddle. She held a hand down for Hyejoo to take.

“And where’s home for them?” the small girl asked.

“The palace,” Hyunjin said, climbing onto her horse. “Meet the lost princesses. Yeojin, Chaewon. This is Heejin and Hyejoo,” she said pointing to each twin. “These are our friends, Yeojin and Chaewon. They helped us heist the crowns.” She reached a hand down to pull Heejin up, helping her get settled in the saddle in front of her. “You comfy?” she asked the girl quietly, wrapping her arm around her waist to pull her back against her more. Heejin nodded and Hyunjin pulled the horse around, just waiting for the cue to leave.

Chaewon and Yeojin took that information surprisingly well. If anyone was going to stumble upon the lost daughters of the queens, it was going to be these two.

Hyejoo took a second on the ground to look up at the tower. As much as it had caused her pain these past few days, it was the only home she’s ever really known. Leaving it wasn’t as easy as she thought it would be. She turned back to the hand being offered to her, taking it and stepping up on the stirrup. “Scoot,” she told Yerim. Yerim furrowed her brow, but shifted from the back of the saddle to the front. Hyejoo brought her leg up and over and settled behind Yerim. She wrapped her arms tightly around her waist and buried her head in her right shoulder. Her left hand rested against Yerim’s stomach, feeling the girl breathe. Her right arm was wrapped around her body with her hand resting on the left side of her rib cage, counting her heartbeats.

Yerim could tell why she needed this. “I’m right here,” she said, turning her head towards Hyejoo’s.

“I know,” Hyejoo whispered. “Just let me do this. Please.”

Yerim said nothing to her, instead squeezing her left hand in her own. “We ready?” she asked the rest of her party. She got nods all around and kicked Geureum’s sides, setting him off at a slow pace. There was no need to rush anymore. Heejin and Hyejoo spared one last glance at the tower before they were inside the tunnel and could no longer see the imposing building.

The ride back was mostly silent. No one could find the right words to say, so they just didn’t. But the November chill was hard to fight against, and all 6 girls found themselves cold as they trotted along through the forest.

“There are blankets in the right middle compartment if you guys are cold,” Yeojin said, already fishing hers out and wrapping it around her body. The thick flannel worked well enough for now to keep her warm.

The rest of them checked, and sure enough they had a blanket for each horse. Chaewon clumsily put hers around her shoulders, taking far longer than it should have to get it situated properly. Hyunjin wrapped her around her shoulders and then wrapped Heejin up in her arms, keeping the both of them covered. Hyejoo did the same for her and Yerim. With how she was sitting and holding onto the girl, the blanket didn’t cover her shoulders, but Yerim didn’t complain. She was plenty warm.

About an hour later, they cleared the trees and saw the Kingdom waiting for them. The long bridge seemed to stretch for miles, but eventually they crossed that as well. They rode through town, keeping to the main streets and climbing up to the palace gates. None of them really knew what to do once they got there, but luckily they didn’t have to worry about that.

“Lady Yeojin!” one of the guards shouted when he spotted her.

Everyone but Chaewon looked at her, confused about the title. Yeojin just rolled her eyes and slumped in the saddle. “We need to be let in immediately. We have some people that the Queens are going to want to meet.” She spoke with an air of authority that was surprising considering her age and status. Although Yerim and Hyunjin were seriously questioning what her status really was at this point.

The guards looked at each other, then at the party in front of them. “Of course. Right this way.” He stepped to the side and held his hands out as the gates slowly swung open.

Yeojin took the lead this time, slowly moving her horse into the palace grounds. They strode around to the stables and dropped the horses back off. Yeojin and Chaewon easily dismounted and waited for the others. Yerim let Hyejoo slip off first before following her and handing off Geureum to a very confused stable hand. Hyunjin dismounted first and helped Heejin down. They all kept their blankets even as they stepped into the warm castle.

“Lady Yeojin!” another guard said, bowing slightly out of respect. “Your mother has been worried sick about you! Should I go get her?”

Yerim narrowed her eyes at the girl. “I thought you were an orphan,” she said, her voice dark.

Yeojin swallowed thickly. “I’ll explain everything later. We need to get them to their parents first. I think that’s the more important matter here.”

Yerim wanted to argue, but she realized Yeojin was right. She glanced over to Hyunjin, seeing she was just as confused. Chaewon, however, was not and that angered Yerim even more.

“Young Miss, with all due respect, none of you are going anywhere near the Queens,” the guard said.

“You don’t understand, these two are the lost princesses!” Yeojin said, pointing to the twins. The guard barely spared them a glance before turning back to Yeojin, his face set and unmoving. Yeojin kept trying. “I’m serious! We’ve all kind of been through hell these last few days and these two need to meet the Queens.”

“Is this some kind of prank you’re pulling?” the guard asked.

Yeojin exploded. “Does this look like a prank to you? My friend is covered in blood, we’re all fucking filthy, and these two just suffered 17 years of abuse! We need to see the Queens now!” she screamed, her voice echoing off the empty halls.

The guard at least had the common sense to look intimated. He didn’t get a chance to respond when another voice called out to them.

“Yeojin!” The group turned and saw the guard captain rushing towards them with two other women. One of them, they all recognized from earlier, still in her jacket that indicated she was also part of the guard. The other woman wasn’t familiar.

“Mama!” Yeojin said. She was quickly wrapped up by the captain and the other woman. They smothered her in their concerns while she tried to push them off. “Mom! I’m fine,” she said, managing to escape their death grips.

“You ran off with wanted criminals! We’re allowed to worry about you!” the other woman said.

“Not right now! We need to see the Queens,” Yeojin said. The two women just stared at her. Yeojin slumped her shoulders. “By the Gods. I know they’re wanted criminals, but I promise they won’t try anything while they’re here. We just need an audience.”

The women looked at her quizzically. “Why?” Haseul asked.

“We found the lost princesses,” Yeojin said, pointing at the twins.

Heejin and Hyejoo knew how pathetic they must have looked, dirty and tired and wrapped in large blankets. But under the gaze of these women, they felt even smaller.

They stared for a long, tense moment before their jaws dropped almost simultaneously. “Oh my gods.” The other woman stepped forward slowly, looking back and forth between the twins. “How old are you?” she asked.

“18,” Heejin answered after a long pause, wondering why that mattered.

“When’s your birthday?” she followed up.

“Yesterday.” Heejin hugged herself tighter, not liking this small interrogation.

The woman took a small step closer, her face softening. “Heejin?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Heejin nodded slowly, wondering who she was. She turned to look at the other girl. “Hyejoo?” she asked, just as quiet. Hyejoo nodded as well, wondering what was going on. The woman laughed out of disbelief, covering her mouth with her hand. She pulled it away a second later. “I know you two don’t remember me, but I’m Jungeun. I used to be your nanny. I’m your Mama’s best friend, I spent a lot of time with you when you were younger.”

Heejin and Hyejoo didn’t really have a response for her, but luckily they didn’t need one.

“Jiwoo, go tell the Queens we’re coming up,” Haseul told the other woman that had been lingering back this whole time. She took off quickly, sprinting down the hall and disappearing around a corner.

“How did you know it was us? We were taken as babies,” Hyejoo asked.

Haseul stepped up and wrapped her arm around Jungeun’s waist. “Your mouth is still shaped like a triangle, and you still have the same beauty mark on your face,” she said to each twin individually. “Now, if you’ll all follow us. We need to get you two upstairs. Your moms are going to be very excited to see you again.”

The twins nodded and let themselves be led down the same hallway the woman, Jiwoo, just ran down. Hyejoo reached back for Yerim, who took her hand quickly. They walked quickly, moving down the hallway and into the main entryway. They walked up the grand staircase and were led down more halls than they could count. They passed identical doors, losing track of how many they passed before they were stopped and ushered through doors at the end of the hall. They opened onto the main balcony overlooking the vast palace grounds.

“If you all want, you can wait on the balcony. They should be coming soon.”

“Thanks Mama,” Yeojin mumbled.

“We are going to have a  _ long _ talk later.” Yeojin deflated under the threat, but they were left alone after that.

Meanwhile, Jiwoo ran as fast as she could through the castle towards the Queen’s study. She ignored all the staff asing frantic questions, wondering if she was ok. She would be once she reunited her closest friends with their daughters. She burst into the room without knocking, heaving and leaning heavily on the doorway. Jinsoul and Sooyoung looked up from what they were doing, wondering why she barged in so loudly. She took a deep breath and pointed down the hallway she had just come from. “They’re home,” she said, still out of breath. “Someone brought them home.”

Jinsoul and Sooyoung knew what that meant immediately. They stood and moved towards the door quickly. “Where are they?” Sooyoung asked.

Jiwoo moved to keep the doorway clear. “They’re on the balcony facing the courtyard. But they’re not alone, they have some friends.”

Jinsoul and Sooyoung took off, not sparing Jiwoo any more glances.

  
  


“Hey guys?” Everyone turned to look at Chaewon. Yeojin was standing next to her and they were both shifting around awkwardly. “We’re going to go. We don’t need to be here for this part. You guys should have some privacy,” she said.

“We’ll be back in a bit. But I hope it all goes well for you guys,” Yeojin said.

“Where are you going to go?” Hyunjin asked.

“Probably just the kitchen. Or I’ll take her to my room while we wait for you guys.”

Yerim narrowed her eyes at Yeojin, not liking that she had her own room in the castle. She had so many unanswered questions, but she and Yeojin both knew that now wasn’t the time for them to be answered.

Yeojin smiled awkwardly at them and the duo turned to walk down the ramp that led off the balcony, eventually moving out of sight.

Yerim walked over to the railing, leaning heavily on it. “Are you ok?” Hyejoo asked, resting a hand on her shoulder.

Yerim nodded without looking at her. “You remember what I said about royalty?” Hyejoo hummed to let her know she did. She stared hard at the spot that Yeojin and Chaewon were last seen. Hyejoo turned and saw what she was looking at, understanding what she was trying to say.

Hyejoo sighed and moved her hand to rub Yerim’s back. “I don’t know what kind of history you two have, but I hope that you guys can talk about it soon. She seems to really care about you.” She hoped she wasn’t overstepping.

Yerim sighed and ducked her head. “Yeah. I care about her too but apparently everything I thought I knew about her was a lie.” She stood up properly and faced Hyejoo, taking one of her hands in her own to lightly play with her fingers. “I don’t know how many times I’ve talked to her about my disgust for royalty and she just sat there and kept lying to my face.”

Hyejoo nodded before realizing something. “She’s not royalty.”

Yerim looked at her, her face screwing up in confusion. “What?”

Hyejoo laughed at Yerim. “Her mom is the captain of the guard and her other mom was a nanny. That doesn’t sound like royalty to me.”

Yerim took a second to think. “That doesn’t really matter because she benefits from everything they do. Everyone we ran into called her by a title, that’s not nothing.”

“If this works out, you know I’ll be royalty too, right?” Hyejoo asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Yerim visibly flinched. She hadn’t quite realized that yet herself. “No, that’s not the same. It’s- You just found that out today. She’s apparently lived here her entire life.”

Hyejoo could tell Yerim was tormented by the realization, but she nodded, understanding where Yerim was coming from. “Just talk to her?” she asked.  _ Just talk to me _ she wanted to say.

“Later. Let me stew in my own anger first. Also I want to know why Chaewon doesn’t seem surprised at any of this.” Yerim said.

Hyejoo looked over at her sister, seeing her and Hyunjin wrapped up together with their blanket wrapped tightly around them. She could barely see Heejin, actually. Heejin’s head was tucked under Hyunjin’s chin and with the blanket over her shoulders, she almost disappeared.

They were silent for only a short moment when the doors slowly opened. Two tall women stepped out slowly, almost afraid to occupy the same space as the rest of them. Yerim squeezed Hyejoo’s hand one last time before letting go and gently pushing her towards them. Hyunjin had let go of Heejin by now and pushed her towards her sister. The twins stood there locked in a staring contest with these women.

Jinsoul moved closer, slowly approaching the girls but still being very wary. Sooyoung stayed back, looking like she was getting over her own fear before approaching. The woman continued to inch closer, and the twins could see she had tears in her eyes. Her eyes flicked back and forth between them, similar to the way Jungeun’s had. She lingered on Hyejoo, raking her eyes over her face before starting to smile. Hyejoo offered a closed mouth smile in return, feeling herself getting emotional as well. None of them had words for it, but they all  _ knew _ . “Sooyoung,” Jinsoul said, her voice breaking from emotion.

Sooyoung stepped up slowly, her eyes locked with Heejin’s. “Hi,” she whispered, afraid to speak and break the moment. Heejin responded accordingly.

Jinsoul broke into a wide smile as Hyejoo gently reached a hand out, pulling her in for a tight hug. They were laughing as tears streamed down their faces.

Heejin saw Sooyoung coming in for an embrace and flinched, only focusing on the hand that was coming near her face. Sooyoung immediately froze and retracted, seeing the way Heejin looked suddenly very afraid of her. Heejin felt bad, knowing this was supposed to be a reunion with her parents.

“What happened to you two?” Sooyoung asked quietly.

“A lot,” Heejin exhaled.

Jinsoul pulled away from Hyejoo, letting Sooyoung move over to hug her tightly. Jinsoul held her hand out to Heejin, having seen the way she flinched back. Heejin gingerly took it and smiled at her. Already in just the few minutes she’s known them, her moms were doing their best to respect her boundaries. She felt more loved by them than she had her entire life locked in that tower.

Jinsoul glanced over to the other two girls standing against the railing. “We heard you had some friends with you. Why don’t we all get out of the cold and we can talk a little bit more.” She dropped Heejin’s hand and gently wrapped her arm around her shoulders guiding her inside.

“Please, join us,” Sooyoung said to Yerim and Hyunjin. The six of them filed back into the castle. Sooyoung and Jinsoul led them down the hallway and back into their study. There were plenty of chairs and a plush couch for all of them to sit around in.

Sooyoung and Jinsoul sat down on one of the couches next to each other, while the twins settled on the couch opposite, separated by only a low table. Yerim and Hyunjin sat in two separate chairs, completing the base of the U-shaped set up.

Jinsoul and Sooyoung took the time to really observe the young girls, and both of them faltered seeing Yerim’s state. “You’re covered in blood,” Sooyoung said, stating the obvious.

Yerim looked down and pulled her ruined shirt out. “Oh yeah, I already forgot about that.” She looked back up casually, relaxing back into her chair. “Don’t worry, it’s just mine.”

Jinsoul stood immediately. “Are you still bleeding? Should we send for a medic?” Her voice was full of motherly worry.

Yerim waved her off. “No, I’m all good, thanks.”

“What happened to you?” Sooyoung asked, pulling her wife back down.

Yerim pointed over to the twins. “Their evil mother stabbed me and I died. But it’s ok because Hyejoo used to have magical hair that glowed when she sang and could heal people and even though I cut it off, she still healed me.”

The Queens stared open mouthed at her. They glanced at Hyunjin, then to the twins. The girls just nodded and agreed with her story. They then turned to their youngest daughter. “What?” was the only thing Sooyong could manage to ask.

Hyejoo sighed and looked at her sister, sharing an amused smile. “It’s a  _ long _ story.”

The Queens looked at them fondly. “We’ve got all the time in the world,” Jinsoul said. For the first time in their entire lives, Heejin and Hyejoo felt safe and loved, knowing they were being listened to and appreciated. They found truth in Jinsoul’s words, knowing they had all the time they needed to explain themselves- that they had all the time they needed to start being a family again.


End file.
